White Knight
by Octorus
Summary: He did not know when or how. All he knew was that he was now in the world of the game he used to play. A world where he can die at any moment if he makes a mistake. A world filled with champions who could crush him like a bug. A world with new wars beginning to break out...oh look, it's like a game. Neat.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**Chapter 1**

Sweat poured down his dark-skinned face as he lifted his farming tool only to bring it back down into the ground. His breaths were short and raspy, but he continued to push on, nonetheless. Every once in a while, he would hold himself up using the very same tool that was causing his torture with the time between working and his own self-established breaks increasing with every passing moment. He looked around to see the amount of work he has done and saw that roughly half of the land has been worked on.

Letting out a sound that was a mix between a growl and a sigh, he looked up at the sky.

Yep. It's official. He hated this.

As he rolled his shoulders around and winced as a few of his bones made sounds that shouldn't be normal, he saw the other children begin to go inside the orphanage that they lived in, already finished with the tasks they were assigned. Some of them did the same thing he did while others were given harder or easier tasks depending on their age and strength. His dark brown eye twitched when some of them made mocking looks and gestures.

The urge to flip them off was getting stronger with every day, consequences of the last time he did that be damned. The fact that most of these kids were younger than him was not helping his predicament at all.

He watched from the corner of his eye as the last of kids went only a thought, a screen popped up in front of him. A screen that had the all too familiar logo in the left corner.

A logo that was no longer attached to the button that began so many games.

That was not the only feature that was gone from the interface. Friends and contact, news, patch notes. Anything connected to the world he came from was gone. All that was left were things that could be considered in game. Or in-world in this case. He was no longer playing a game or was in some sort of dream.

He learned that very quickly as a faraway tree that has the imprint of his forehead could attest too.

He inspected the screen like he did so many times before as he worked, looking for something that could somehow give him a clue as to what was going on. It was a wasted effort, but it took his mind off of things as he worked. He inspected the new tab that contained lore and a map of this world, both of which he studied intensively. He had access to every champion's lore and history. An assumption was made that the game was giving him a bit of leeway, but when he checked the store for champions, it was to find that a message saying that every champion's lore and history has been unlocked. Aspects from when he played league carried over to this world.

He grinned. It looked like the champions he bought with money that came from his own wallet was finally paying off. It was a good thing he was by himself. Otherwise, people would call him crazy for laughing all of a sudden. Take that people who says you shouldn't use money to buy champions! It's going to end up saving his life at some point!

As for the map, it was obvious that he was in Noxus. The harsh environment and the kids mocking his weakness were very telling signs. Trevale was his best guess given that he was in a farming community. That guess became a fact once he realized he was sleeping next to one of the champions associated with this place. They had yet to have a conversation given that he had only arrived recently and his strength left much to be desired, but he was probably going to have to get around to it at some point.

Especially since that worrying quest that was reaching the end of the countdown was related to her.

_**Quest: Establishing Roots**_

_Make a contract with Riven _

_Time remaining: Before bed_

_Reward: A new champion unlocked, 5000 BE_

_Failure: ? (Unknown until discovered)_

He gripped his farming tool tightly. This thing doesn't even have a tutorial on how to even make a contract. It doesn't have a tutorial on anything! He only discovered this damn quest when he was going to bed last night, and it almost got him beat up when it made him curse out loud!

Letting out a breath, he allowed himself to relax, and continued to work on the chores he was given.

In summary, he was going to have to get a Noxian woman from a culture that values mostly physical strength, if his guesses on Noxus's current state is correct, to sign an unknown contract given by a complete stranger, a weakling compared to her by the way, who does not know what said contract does or if it will have any effects on both of them by the end of the day…

He just shook his head.

Before he could continue with his thoughts, he was brought out of them as his tool hit something hard. He hit a rock.

"…Ah."

He surveyed his own work. The land was plowed, though a bit sloppy given his inexperience. The sky was still dark and cloudy with little to no hint as to where the sun was. The air was cold cold and smelled like shit. Not much of a surprise there since he was surrounded by shit.

"…Hm"

He was still in this new world without a single idea as to get back to his own doing farm work at an orphanage. Exhaustion came and he promptly passed out right then and there.

o. o. o.

"…Wake up."

"Gah! The hell!"

The good news was, he was not woken up by sea water being splashed on his face this time. The bad news was, he was kicked in the stomach. Hard. He wheezed a bit and held his stomach, losing the air he had spent so much time sleeping to regain. He glared at the person who done the dirty deed, preparing to insult him…

And then did a double take and realized that it was a girl looking down on him with disgust. A girl that was extremely close to the age of an adult like him with dirty rags, wild silver hair tied into a ponytail, and caramel eyes. The same very girl that was related to the quest he was supposed to complete.

There was only one thing he could say at that moment as she was expecting words from him.

"Harder."

Wait, that came out wrong.

Unfortunately, before he could rephrase his response, the girl in front of him obliged, kicking him so hard he flew in the air for a split second and landed with his face in the dirt.

"Okay, okay. Yeah, I asked for that."

Checking to make sure nothing was broken within his weak body, he struggled to pick himself up. He was a few inches taller than her, but that did not matter given her abnormal strength from working on the farm and the fact that he was hunched over a bit, trying not to pass out again.

"Any reason you tried to wake me up with a kick instead of, oh I don't know, tapping me a few times?" He tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He really did. In return, the girl raised an eyebrow with her arms crossed.

"I did."

"And?"

"You didn't wake up. So, I kicked you."

He glared at her which was only met with a blank look of her own. Relenting, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

"Yeah. I noticed." He opened them again to look around a bit. It was only the two of them outside and it was almost completely dark with the same cloudy weather. "I'm guessing it's dinner time."

"Past dinner. Someone remembered that you exist."

The young man raised an eyebrow as a grin started to form on his face.

"Oh?"

"It wasn't me."

"Oh."

Despite the news, he let the grin stay on his face even if it did fade a little from her reply.

"Well, glad to see that other people realize that I exist." His grin widened as he looked at her with one eye. "Though from that look you are giving me and those kicks, you look like you wished differently."

"Noxus doesn't need weaklings," she simply said, harsh and to the point.

In response, his grin turned sloppy.

"Heeeh?"

The girl narrowed her eyes at his nonchalant tone.

"I'm not mocking you or anything." At the sight of her hands balling up into fists, he lazily waved his arms in surrender. "It's just that I find it interesting that you view physical strength much higher than any other kind of strength."

Yeah, he was definitely mocking her. Thankfully, she was more focused on his words rather than his tone given that she was not beating him to a pulp at the moment. Taking her silence as a go ahead as he was right with his assumptions, he continued. "You look like the kind of person that wants something more than food on the table. To be a part of something greater than just working on the fields and tending to livestock." He let his arms rest on his side. God, he really wished these clothes had pockets. "You're a hard worker and you do what you are told. But…"

He let the last word drag out, causing the girl to growl.

"Spit it out."

"Why aren't you going farther than that?"

At her confused expression, his grin slipped from his face and became a frown along with his slightly furrowed eyebrows.

"You're probably always thinking, 'I can be great as long as I am a part of something great'. It's in the way you look and act. What I am asking is why can't you be great right now? What is stopping you from being more than just a farm girl right now?"

He picked up the tool that he was using before and planted it on the ground, using it for his body to lean on. "For example, why aren't you interacting to the other orphans?"

She frowned.

"You are probably thinking, why should I talk to them? Let me ask you this: did you not think to realize that those same kids might have the same dream as you? To be a part of Noxus?" He watched as surprise flashed across her face. "These other kids might be your…brothers and sisters. You should expand your view a bit. It will not only do good for you, but also for Noxus itself."

She was saved from giving a reply by the rumbling of his stomach.

His face changed from focused to boredom, an expression that he was his standard at this point. "Well, accurate guesses and shocking revelations aside, I am going to go and get some food." He picked up his tool and let it rest on his shoulder, walking past her.

But not before saying one last thing.

"There's more to winning a fight than physical strength. The sooner you learn this, the less things you will lose."

He was going to let it end at that. But…

"…Wait."

The word was a quiet, but he stopped all the same, looking at the girl who was looking at him in a new light. One without disgust. Well, not as much disgust as before.

"What's your name?"

"Zike. Nice to meet you. And your name?"

He extended his hand. She looked at it before she hesitantly took it and shook.

"…Riven."

o. o. o.

In Zike's mind, that went pretty well.

They did not live in walls made of brick and stone. They were too far away from the capital to live that kind of life. Except for that fortress that was some ways north of them. Instead, they were in huts that reminded him of how people used to live in medieval times. All the other kids were grouped up within this single hut while their caretaker lived in a better home. Not that surprising.

The young man thought and looked at the screen in front of him, the quest that he was given already long since failed.

All he could do was just shrug.

He finally let the screen close after a bit of reading.

Every champion was powerful. They range from just your regular human with special talents to beasts that an entire nation cannot hope to defeat. Some can lay waste to entire cities while others can save them. Some can kill him without even a thought while others can accidentally kill him as collateral damage while killing someone else. Some are leaders while others are loners. His only means of defense and offense against them were his words and some of them cannot even understand. But more than that, most of the champions are a symbol of a nation or region. Some want to make sure that symbol stays while others want to see it changed. Or destroyed. Every one of them have different dreams and sometimes those dreams conflicts with others. It was a tangled mess of desire and conflict.

He opened his screen again and looked at his status.

**Summoner Zike**

**Level 1**

o. o. o.

The next morning, he was not woken up by someone kicking him in the stomach or sea water being poured over him. No, he was woken up by the sound of bustling people walking past him. That fact alone was enough for him to be alarmed. The farm was not that big nor loud.

His eyes snapped open and he was greeted by the sight of a crowd of people moving through clean streets. He saw elegant and tall buildings that put the hut that he was in before to shame. It wasn't even a contest. Every single one of the buildings were built with clean white walls that had not a single blemish on them surrounded by the healthiest and cleanest grass he has ever seen. The people too looked as clean as the buildings they passed. Even some of the peasants here looked better than him.

Then a screen popped up in front of him.

_**Quest: Establishing Roots**_

_Make a contract with Riven._

_**Quest Failed**_

_Failure: Teleportation to location of Random Contracting Quest_

_**Random Contracting Quest**_

_Make a contract with Lux_

_Time Remaining: Indefinite_

_Reward: New champion, 5000 BE, return to Noxus at any time_

"…Well…fuck."

o. o. o.

The world of Runeterra, the world he was currently in, was not as defined before as it was now. Before, nations were left up to someone's interpretation along with the champions that were a part of them. During the early stages of League, things were a lot more kinnocent. Just another fantasy world that people can dream of being in and making fast friends with the champions.

Then the company that created League of Legends cranked up the lore and danger in it up to eleven, killing almost all the innocence that was once a part of it like a plague. To put it in perspective, only one, _ONE_, region was a safe place to him to live in and even then, it was only a matter of time before that changes. And unfortunately, this region wasn't the place. Demacia, before the update to its lore, was sort of like the heroes in League. Knights in shining armor, fights off the bad guys, strives for peace and justice. Now though, after the change? Oh, they still have knights in shining armor and strives for peace and justice. In fact, that particular aspect was enhanced, and they are now regarded as one of the most elite and powerful nations in Runeterra. But it was also one of the most dangerous places to be in. Especially for him. Why?

Because they hate magic to the point of hunting down anyone who uses or possesses it. Add in some stuck up, hypocritical nobles as icing on top and you have a nation that is a nightmare to live in if you have magic inside you. And given that he was summoner, albeit one a weak one, he still possessed magic which made him a target to be persecuted against.

Zike moved among the crowd of people, covered by a dark cloak. He did not know where the cloak came from. Probably the game giving him a bit of leeway in this disastrous situation, but he wasn't complaining. The biggest threat to him right now are Demacia's mage seekers or annullers. The new lore of League was still being updated before he got here so there is little to no information as to how they operate or how they can detect mages. Because of that, all he can do is blend in with the crowd and hope to be hidden among them instead of singled out. The disadvantage he currently has is that he has mana which is used to cast magic. To make matters worse, he has a lot of mana. Like a lot. The only advantage he has is that he knows how to use some of his magic...maybe...which would get him detected if he used it…

He was pulling straws and losing.

He tensed as armored knights passed by and picked up some of their whispers.

"Powerful magic has been detected! Be on guard! It was detected somewhere around this area."

The cloaked man furrowed his eyebrows. He was going to get caught. There was no doubt about that. What he had to do was find Lux before that happens. With her, he could find a way out of this mess and somehow evade capture. If he couldn't…

He didn't know if others could see his screen, but just to make sure, he extended his cloak outward a bit and opened his screen with little fanfare like before. A sigh of relief came out as it was opened within the cloak and not the air where people could see him use something they did not understand. Zike opened his map and just like he guessed, there was an option to give him more details.

Including the location of his ticket out of this place.

His eyes narrowed once he realized that she was a few blocks away. To make matters worse, he could see symbols on the map that marked enemies that were beginning to close in on him.

"…I've always wondered if a summoner can use spells on himself."

o. o. o.

The only spells he had at the moment were heal and ghost. Heal was pretty self-explanatory and useless at the moment, but ghost was the very thing he needed, a spell that gave him a burst of speed for a few seconds with about three minutes of cooldown. All he had to do was trigger it with a focused thought similar to his client.

Good news, it works on him. When he used it, his body felt light and weightless. He really did feel like a ghost given that he felt his body leave him for a few seconds. Kind of haunting really. Even more good news, its cooldown was cut in half when he used it. Great news, he managed to get out of the ring of mage seekers that were beginning to close in.

Bad news was that they didn't like that. Even worst was the fact that more people were looking for him.

Demacia really hates magic.

Still moving among the crowd of people, he scanned the area to find her. It didn't take long to find her. Short Blonde hair, blue eyes, shy, and sitting on a fancy white horse. Yeah, that's her. Now what to do now that he found her?

_**Lux Bond Score: Level 2**_

He briefly regarded the message before closing it. Zike moved away from the crowd and walked next to the horse. He saw a brief look of surprise which then turned to caution. "I know that you can use magic. Light magic," he whispered. Her face paled into one of fear and terror. He pressed on all the same. "I'm also the guy your people are looking for. I don't want to get caught and you don't want people to know what you do. Help me and we both don't have to be in trouble. Don't and…well…you get the idea."

Zike could see the battle raging in her mind. Sweat started to pour down his face and his hands twitched. In the end, it was obvious which side had won given her look of defeat.

"…What do you want?"

The cloaked man grinned. "Just follow my lead."

"Wha-"

"Also, for the record, this is just a regular cloak."

Zike took off his cloak and stepped back a few spaces.

"Ahem…MAGIC CLOAK! MAGIC! POWERFUL! MAGIC! HEATHEN!"

ZIke blankly watched as armored guards came out of nowhere and tackled the cloak. Some of them stabbed their swords into the edges of it that weren't covered by their bodies and one of them was looking a bit too enthusiastic doing it.

A guard that was not partaking in the ambush rushed up to Zike and Lux. He briefly looked at the man in rags before giving a slight bow to Lux.

"Miss Crownsguard. Can you tell us the situation?"

Zike looked at said Crownsguard's face which was a mix between shock, terror from the news of her abilities being discovered, and…something else? Well, since she was clearly incapacitated at the moment…

"Sir, she found out that the cloak I had on had some kind of magic put into it. Someone told me to hold on to it for him before running away." Gone was the sarcastic and mocking tone. Now there was a tone full of regret and horror. "I-I did not know what he looked like as I thought it a small task that I could forget. I only meant it as an act of kindness. I apologize that I will not be of help to your investigation of this…I am truly sorry."

Then Zike looked up to the Lux, clasping both hands and bowing. "Thank you for saving my life crowns guard! If you had not intervened in time, who knows what could have happened."

Said Crowns Guard snapped out of her state to look between Zike and the guard before giving the Zike a forced smile that was definitely not filled with fear and panic. She opened her mouth to give a reply and Zike cut in before she could process what happened next.

"Alsosheofferedtotakemetoherhometomakesuretherearenolingeringeffects. Thank you, Crownsguard."

"It was no trouble at all…wait what?"

The guard, somehow understanding his rushed sentence, nodded, a proud smile on his face. "As one would expect from a member of the Crownsguard family. Thank you for your help. Now if you would excuse me."

Zike tilted his head as the guard dived towards the pile of bodies with his sword drawn.

"FOR DEMACIA!"

Yeah, Demacia really hates magic.

And the guard chose a good time to join the fight given the light that began to glow in Lux's hand.

o. o. o.

"You know, you technically didn't lie," Zike said as his mouth was full of food. "Oh, wow this is good. Better than that crap at the farm. You knew magic was in the area, but you didn't know who or in this case, what it belonged to. If anything, I lied since most of that story is complete bull. Then again, he couldn't tell that I was being sarcastic which is a failure on his part and wow, this tastes fresh."

Lux was currently sitting across from him with her head in her hands while he tried to console her while eating an extravagant meal. Emphasis on tried. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be consoling her about. Failing her duty perhaps?

Meh. The food is more important at the moment.

The dining hall was attended by maids and butlers who left the room as soon as they served the food to the both of them. The Crownsguard family, which Lux is a part of, is a highly regarded noble family. Highly regarded to the point where he was told to wash up and received a new set of clothes to wear since he had nothing but rags. Demacia really was nice in appearance, both inside and outside despite its views. The new clothes also suited him. Blue pants, white-hooded jacket, clean brown boots. He didn't know they could be so modern which raised question, but more importantly, he now has pockets! That's all that matters. And with the beautiful view of the sea outside, he was living the dream life.

Zike stopped eating for a minute as he watched Lux's head sink further into her hands. Brushing himself off a bit, he looked at her from across the table. "Wasn't it funny to see how they reacted to the 'magical' cloak?"

Lux blinked for a moment, confusion beginning to form. "You said that it wasn't magical."

"I don't know. It looked pretty magical to me."

"But it was not magical."

"It was some pretty dangerous magic. Did you see how those knights were having so much trouble?"

She had to look away as she tried not to laugh. Zike grinned a bit as he lifted a cup to his lips. It quickly dimmed as soon as the next words left her mouth.

"…How did you know I can use magic?"

To his credit, he did not look away from her firm and threatening expression. As innocent as she looked, she was still a noble and part of the Crowns Guard and also a champion of the game he used to play. "I know a lot of things. But don't worry, I will be out of your hair before anyone else realizes I'm here and won't tell anyone your secret," he simply said. He put his cup down and looked at her with a bored expression. "All I want to do at this point is a little bit of reading before I leave. You can even make sure the stuff I read is not anything important. Just some general knowledge."

After finishing his plate, the summoner got up from his seat and stretched. "I won't hold it against you if you decide to turn me in for being associated with magic. I did use you after all. Put whatever loyalties you have to your nation and family first before you consider the fate of a stranger."

She looked at him for a moment, scrutinizing his every word and the way he acted for any kind of deception. But in the end, he made it so that she had nothing to lose. She sighed, but still glared at him.

"I won't turn you in if all you want to do is read. As long as you leave before anyone comes, you may do as you please."

But Zike did not show any relief. Instead, he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "…But?"

"I don't trust you…and I don't like you."

That's fair. Still, "Not even if I have a way for you to control your magic?"

Zike watched a number of emotions flash on her face. Hope, fear, hurt, caution. After a few seconds of this, the light user adopted a blank expression.

"…Yes."

Cute.

"Hm…" Zike rubbed his chin a bit and nodded. "Okay then." Looking as if he was pondering something and not paying attention to her expression, he continued, "There are places where there are machines that move and act like humans, a nation completely inhabited by pirates, a place filled with small furry creatures…" Her blank expression started to crumble more and more with each description of a place in Runeterra and instead evolved into one of curiosity. Now to seal the deal. "And I _was _about to find out a way for you to experience all these things without you leaving your own home or troubling your family or getting you in trouble for using magic…but since you don't like or trust me…"

His lips twitched. It was clear that she was having an inner conflict with herself given her scrunched up face.

"If what you say is true then…what do I have to do?"

That was the moment when his grin could no longer be contained, giving Lux the distinct feeling she was going to regret this.

o. o. o.

"Few things to say and wait until I finish until you start asking questions."

They were in her room after he had done a bit of quick reading like he asked which was much larger than the hut he lived in. Even the bed looked like it could fit all the kids in it and it had drapes. Drapes. To add insult to the injury, there was a balcony outside that gave them a view of the rest of the city and the sea, the smell and taste of it tickling his senses. But the sun was beginning to set.

They were running out of time.

They stood across from each other with Lux looking a bit uncomfortable. Zike, however, looked bored out of his mind because he had to do the one of the things he did not enjoy in life.

Explaining stuff.

"One, I'm a summoner. Two, yes you are going to be something similar to a familiar of some sort. What that means is that a copy of you in your current state will be made and once that copy has been unsummoned or destroyed, you will regain all its memories, so you know what has happened with the exception of your moment of death. Basically, if I summon you, nothing will happen except you getting some new memories, but if something happens to you on your end and I summon you, you will be in whatever state you are in at that moment. Mentally, not physically. In your case, you will _feel_ that you have been summoned, but you won't actually be summoned and still get your copy's memories."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut in before she could get a single word out. "No, I will not have control over you. You can do whatever you want although you will be inclined to do what I want so long as it is within your interests and it is not something that you will dislike. However, I can summon you whenever I want and only I can decide when to unsummon you…unless you decide to kill yourself or kill me. In the even that happens, nothing will happen to you. You are completely safe."

Lux once again tried to ask a question. Sadly, she was once again denied. "As for how this relates to your magic and how this will affect you, you will gain increased control and knowledge of your abilities and you will also feel a bit of an enhancement. Like some power or information you didn't know you had until now. That feeling will increase if I summon you, but specifically by how much, I don't know. As I gain more contracts and power, you will gain power and knowledge of your abilities."

Zike waited for a moment as she glared at him. She raised an eyebrow at him and in response, he waved his arm. She opened her mouth, "As for what I will be summoning you for-" and a groan came out. "Anything that I need help with. Battles, advice, information. Again, you can do whatever you want. But in case you want to be summoned to explore or ask something or whatever, just open your menu by saying 'menu' and send a message to me. Oh and my name is Zike by the way, nice to meet you," at this point, the light user was exasperated, "and then I will know that you want to talk to me. Nobody else but you, me, and other fellow contracted champions can see the message so you don't have to worry about being associated with any magic. Now, any questions?"

"Yes!" Lux shouted. "A lot of questions!"

"Good, then let's get started." He ignored her look of frustration and opened his screen. He briefly looked at Lux but finding no change in her less than pleasant expression when he opened the interface, he got back to work. All those things he explained were discovered last night before he went to bed. Of course, he double checked to make sure he was not screwing up anything before giving an explanation. The process for summoning was very simple overall. All he had to do was press a few buttons and he was done.

And as for how to establish a contract-

Lux yelped and jumped back when a dark green screen appeared in front of her.

_**Do you want to make a contract with Zike?**_

_Yes or no?_

The message listed the same information he had explained to her just moments before, something she inspected intensively given her squinting eyes. Zike crossed his arms and tap one of them with a finger as he waited for her to finish. At the sound of voices, he briefly looked out from the balcony and frowned.

He started to tap faster.

The summoner stopped once he saw the young woman nod. "Okay…I'm ready."

"Then just press yes. We don't have much time."

She gave a hesitant nod and slowly drew her finger towards the acceptance button.

And when she finally clicked it, they both felt it. Power coursing through their bodies that felt unknown, but at the same time, very familiar as if they had it their entire lives. Zike felt awe and wanted to test out his light abilities despite being afraid of them…and realized that those thoughts were not his own. They belonged to the woman in front of him. So he can read minds too? Neat.

And the moment was gone as quickly as it came. In exchange, a number of screens popped up in front of him.

**Contract with Lux, The Lady of Luminosity established.**

_**Level up 1 - 2 (Levels are dependent on contracted Champions)**_

_**Summoner and contracted Champions stats and abilities have increased.**_

_**Random Contracting Quest**_

_Make a contract with Lux_

_**Quest complete!**_

_Reward: New champion, 5000 BE, return to Noxus at any time_

_**Return to Noxus?**_

_Yes or No?_

Zike snapped out of interpreting this new information once he heard the sound of footsteps. He quickly coughed into his hand and similarly snapped Lux out of her daze. "Well, I did what I came to do and now I have to go. Let's try and figure this stuff out tomorrow. Contact me whenever you want."

Lux was about to say something but was interrupted but this time it was not because of him. It was because of the knock at her door. "How will you get out of here?" She whispered.

Zike just shrugged. "I don't know." At her look of shock and looking at him as if he was an idiot, he clicked yes on the screen to return to Noxus.

There was a brief flash of light which blinded Lux. When she regained her vision, he was gone. Her eyes darted left and right.

"Luxanna? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I'm alright mother." She made her way toward the door and nodded.

"…Tomorrow."

o. o. o.

"…Ow."

Zike rubbed his back after the trip. One moment he was standing in a nice room and the next, he was a few feet in the air…and then gravity kicked in. "Stupid magic." The summoner looked around while he made sure nothing was broken and blinked once he realized where he was. He was on the outskirts of the same Noxian farming village he came from. Right on the border between the village and the woods to be more specific.

"Huh…how convenient."

o. o. o.

**Author's Note:**

**First chapter. Finally. Done. Staring out a story is always the hardest.**

**Brief introduction of myself. Casual writer that has ideas for story that just wouldn't leave my head and I wanted to finally put it on paper or computer in this case. Started stories on this site before, but those were stories that were written when things came to mind, hence why I deleted them since some of them were cringeworthy.**

**I was young with a healthy and active mind.**

**Some of them were _very_ good ideas and I have half a mind to reboot them since I have an idea as to how to work them out, but for now, it is best to take one story at a time starting with this one.**

**Now for the story:**

**I always wanted to create a League story that was based on a summoner ending up in Runeterra. When I first tried to create one, it was before Riot Games started to update its lore. It was kind of hard to do it given that there wasn't a clear map with any towns or any lore as to what the regions were like. It was going to be a story of how the League of Legends came to be. I just had to use my imagination but the story was eventually dropped.**

**Then came an update to the League of Legend's lore which drastically changed everything. More details. A map. Clear information. Regions. It was like striking gold except instead of gold, it's lore.**

**A lot of reading was done.**

**Now it is just a story about a summoner ending up in the world of League of Legends with gaming elements. The gaming concept of stories is nothing new if you frequent this site much. However, I noticed that most League of Legends stories were based on pairings between champions and even when there were stories based on the summoners themselves, they were, again, based on pairings between summoner and champion. Especially one particular champ. But that champ will not be na-**

***Cough* Ahri *Cough***

**-med. Sorry. Cough there.**

**Not that there is anything wrong with that. Every writer should write what they want regardless of what the audience thinks. It's just that I wanted something different; something more than just a story focused on the romance between a summoner and a champion or at the very least, something more fleshed out that incorporates League's new lore. And with most of League's lore updated along with champions depicted in a darker light…**

**Well…how could I _not _write a story? I imagine how things could play out almost every day. I was tempted to just stop writing for good and just focus on other things and hopefully let it die, but here I am, ready to do this again.**

**Make sure to review so I can hear your comments and become a better writer if it's constructive.**


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**Chapter 2**

Zike groaned, tasting the blood in his mouth as he tried to get up, shaking as he did so. Everything hurt. Everything was bruised. He was in too much pain to wonder if anything was broken or if there was any permanent damage. Whimpering and holding himself sounded like a good idea at the moment. Maybe it would get the pain to sto-

He coughed as another punch landed in his gut.

Nope. No mercy.

"…To be fair…I said you should talk to them," another groan left his throat before he continued, "but I expected things to turn out well for you."

She didn't care judging by her look. She just wanted to beat someone up to get rid of the frustration she felt so she punched him again. Riven, the very cause of his current beating, had bruises and scratches everywhere. They looked fresh at first glance, but after closer inspection, they were probably only a day old.

And failed horribly by getting beat up.

After realizing that, he tried prevent himself from shaking in laughter and get beat up himself.

It didn't work.

She didn't say anything when she walked up to him and chose to beat him up instead as if he would get what she was saying through her kicks and punches. But all he was getting at this point was pain and probably a concussion. With a final kick to his ribs, she stepped back a few paces and let out a harsh breath. The silver-haired woman looked down on him, her shadow covering his form.

She was waiting for something. No, she was expecting him to talk.

…She was so lucky he didn't hold grudges...until he could turn the tables. Or maybe he was the one who was lucky considering his current state?

"First of all," Zike as a sharp pain coursed through his body once more, "I'm not going to help you if all you are going to do is beat me up every time something doesn't go the way you want it to." The woman's look and the way she prepared herself to give another beatdown showed that she very much disagreed with that statement. "You can figure things out on your own if you do it again."

Riven glared at him and he glared back. He maintained the stare as he struggled to get up.

"Taking your frustrations out on others just because you failed won't help you."

She turned her head away with a growl but she still felt the stern stare. Letting out another harsh sigh, she finally looked back at him though not without a lot of defiance.

"…Fine."

Not exactly satisfying but he'll take what he could get. They weren't exactly in a happy place. Ominous dark woods, mostly cloudy skies, biting cold air, and orphans who have probably seen things that would haunt them for the rest of their lives were a recipe for disaster. He really should have saw this coming but the ending up in another world problem gave him tunnel vision. The summoner sighed, rubbing his shoulder that was exposed due to a rip in his ragged clothing. He couldn't just where the clothes he got from Demacia so suddenly. Too suspicious.

"Moving on...how did you try talking to them?"

"By trying to beat them up," Riven confidently said.

Zike palmed his face and yelped. Forgot about the pain. Instead, he looked at Riven with irritation.

"How would that work?!"

The silver-haired woman gave him a puzzled expression with some irritation of her own.

"How would that _not _work?"

Zike opened his mouth to say something but stopped and widened his eyes, looking at Riven in a new light. He was looking at this the wrong way. It was because of this realization that he was was unsurprised when a screen popped up in front of him.

_**Quest: Establishing Roots**_

_Make a contract with Riven _

_Time remaining: One week_

_Reward: A new champion unlocked, 5000 BE_

_Failure: Teleportation to location of Random Contracting Quest_

"…Should have realized this sooner," the summoner muttered, tapping a finger against his chin. He quickly glanced around his surroundings to make sure no one was around before opening his menu.

"Do you want to get stronger?"

It didn't take long for her to reach a decision given her determined look. She jumped back in shock when a screen appeared in front of her along with a string of words.

"Read this and tell me when you're done."

Riven's face scrunched up in frustration. "I can't read."

Orphans who don't receive any education and work without pay. Right. While the summoner sighed in annoyance and began to explain everything, he wondered if this world had its own universal language or if it was a mix of them. The gaming system probably translated everything for him, but it would be a problem if he had to write something.

"…And this will make me stronger?" Riven asked when he finished.

"Among other things. So long as you don't try to beat me up again if you lose again."

"I won't lose again," she said without missing a beat.

"_Just don't beat me up again if you do," _Zike thought as he rolled his eyes.

She pressed accept.

The same feelings he felt before when he made a contract with Lux appeared only this time, it felt different. He felt wind and power, but he only felt it at certain moments, much like how a person breathed and felt the air come in. He didn't feel the warmth that he felt with Lux.

It all felt empty, lost…and broken.

Zike closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He opened them again when the feelings passed and was greeted by multiple screens.

_**Contract with Riven, The Exile, has been established.**_

_**Summoner and Contracted Champions Stats and Abilities have increased. **_

_**Riven's Bond Score: Level 1**_

_**Quest: Establishing Roots**_

_Make a contract with Riven _

_**Quest Complete!**_

_Reward: A new champion unlocked, 5000 BE_

Nodding, he closed the screens and turned his attention to Riven who was looking at herself with wide eyes at the feeling of a strange and unfamiliar power. But before he could snap her out of it, another screen popped up.

_**Quest: Another Lucky Opportunity**_

_Investigate the Woods, Find the Champion, Then Make a Contract._

_Time limit: Before midnight._

_Reward: A new champion unlocked, 5000 BE_

_Failure: Teleportation to location of Random Contracting Quest_

Well crap.

o. o. o.

Sitting on a large rock in the middle of the woods, he navigated around his personal league client, tapping his chin with a finger as he inspected the screen. While Riven did her thing of beating up people, he did his thing of trying to figure out more about what he could do as a summoner and how the summoning process works.

One of the aspects that stayed behind on the League of Legends client was the store…unfortunately. But fortunately, riot points were removed. Good, because he's broke. Blue essence was the only currency. The champion tab was empty since he already purchased all the champions, granting him access to knowledge of their lore and abilities. The accessory tab just had ward skins and rune pages. The latter was something that was locked, something that made him curse as it was one of the main ways of powering up a champion. The former was unlocked, but he had no idea how to use a ward.

He briefly looked away from the screen, crossing his arms in thought.

"…Ward?"

Zike waited…but nothing happened. The summoner thought for a moment. A ward gives him vision of his map. Any movement or anything unique such as abilities will appear on it no matter if they are friend or foe. Opening his map, he zoomed in on his current location. He was half an hour away from Trevale which gave him much needed alone time to try and figure things out. There being no ward tab implied it should be easy to activate. He pressed his finger on a particular point and nothing happened. But when he held it down…

He grinned as a new window appeared listing all the types of wards. Ward, control ward, oracle lens and far sight alteration.

From the descriptions, a regular ward was just giving him vision of an area while a control ward was similar except it covered a slightly larger area and revealed anything not visible to the naked eye. The former will disappear after three minutes while the latter functioned until it was destroyed either by enemies or if he attempted to place down another ward of its kind. Downside to both was that he had to be near the place he wanted the ward to be but upside to the regular ward was it would turn invisible when placed down.

Oracle lens worked in a similar way to a control ward, but instead of giving vision, it would scan his general area and reveal anything hidden for a few seconds. Anything concealed would be discovered. Far sight alteration was similar to wards but he didn't have to be close by to use it. But He couldn't activate it no matter where he was. An area similar to a large city was the activation range and though it lasted until destroyed like a control ward, the range of vision it provided would decrease after a few seconds.

To put it simply, wards are invisible eyes, control wards and oracle lens are scanners, and far sight alteration are eyes that he could throw almost anywhere but grew old and useless after a few seconds. Almost all of them, with the exception of the control ward which costs fifty blue essences, were free. He placed two regular wards and one control ward in a triangle formation around him. As soon as he placed them, various dots appeared on his screen but thankfully, none of them indicated an enemy. Just creatures.

Closing the map, he moved over to the champion skins tab. They were just costumes and available for purchase only for the champions he made contracts with. Their price was the same as when they could be purchased with riot points. He looked at the upper left corner of his screen. He currently had five thousand blue essence. The skin he wanted costed seven hundred and fifty of his essence. Wasn't cheap but it was necessary. After purchasing the skin, he closed the store and navigated to where he could summon champions. However, he could only summon one champion at the moment with five being the limit of what he could unlock.

_**A Higher Level is required to Summon more Champions. Please note that only in the circumstance where a champion is slain while summoned, they are unable to be summoned again until the next day. **_

Like a game indeed.

There were only two champions available. He clicked on Lux and it gave him the option to pick a skin he wanted her to be in when summoned. He lazily scrolled through the skins before finally stopping on Lux's spell thief skin and clicked summon. It was the only skin that was inconspicuous. He did _not _want to deal with the falling out of someone discovering who she was or any champion he used for that matter.

Glowing blue runes appeared a few feet in front of him, creating multiple circles before they started to shift in opposing directions while gradually increasing in speed. He watched as Lux's form started to be created and strangely felt like energy was being drained out of him. Looking at his status screen, he watched as half of his mana disappeared. Before he could try to figure out the exact cost of summoning, Lux's form completely burst outwards, blinding him for a brief moment. The entire process took around five seconds, something he made sure to remember. Nothing was different from the first time they met. Blonde hair, ocean-blue eyes, young face, and…

And…and…

"That was weird…why are you looking at me like that?"

Zike didn't hear her for a moment. Too busy staring at her with intense eyes. When he finally did register the words spoken to him, he shook his head, snapping out of a daze. He raised a finger and opened his mouth but chose to stay silent instead and further scrutinize her form. A conflict raged in his mind as his eyes focused and unfocused at rapid intervals. In the end, one side had won, and he finally looked away which took a great amount of effort.

Curious, Lux looked down at herself…

She shrieked.

"Gah! My eyes! It burns!" Zike clutched his eyes when her entire body suddenly lit up like the sun.

"Why am I naked?!"

Her summoner briefly regained his vision and looked at her…only for his eyes to unfocus again.

"I have no idea. I have to inspect you in order to make sure nothing bad has happened. Yes, an intense inspection," he deadpanned.

Then he giggled pervertedly.

The giggling was cut off when he ducked in order to dodge the beam of the woman shot at him. Even though he was unharmed, he still felt the lingering heat above him. If he had been hit, he would have been disintegrated.

"Do something!" Lux shouted.

Quickly realizing that failure would lead to an instantaneous death, he opened his client and tried to find the cause. Sensing that she was getting ever so closer to blasting him, he rapidly started pressing things on the screen like a madman, desperately trying not to look at her lest he hasten the time he was to die to only a few seconds.

He blinked when he realized the cause. He spent so much time playing with scrolling through her skins that he made a mistake and clicked on a skin that he didn't unlock. Apparently, decided that since no skin was chosen, it would summon the champion with no clothes.

Oops…a fortunate accident.

He didn't know how, but Lux somehow knew what he was thinking and was currently charging up a spell. Thankfully, he could change skins after a champion was summoned so he pressed on the skin he intended to summon her in and hoped it worked. A golden light had come and gone around the light user and the result was that she now had clothes to wear. The spell thief skin gave her a short brown hood with purple lining. A violet tunic covered her upper body with blue canisters strapped diagonally across it. Around her waist was a belt that held up a brown, leather pouch, and below it was a darker shade of brown pants and boots.

The light user briefly regarded herself, looking both in front of her and behind her. Nodding, she turned her attention back to Zike, fixing him with a glare. He wondered if he could play this off as a magical accident even though that would be complete bullshit. But, judging by her look, no matter what he said, he would still face punishment. Well, in that case-

"…I regret nothing as I am a young and healthy man with an interest in the opposite sex," her summoner said seriously. "Also, your boobs and ass were excellent. Thanks for the show."

Then he gave her a thumbs up.

o. o. o.

"Moving on," Zike said, ignoring the pain on both of his cheeks. "I'm assuming you didn't feel uncomfortable when you were summoned?"

Still mad, the light user sighed. "No…it felt like I was being pulled. Next thing I know, I'm standing in front of you."

"Naked," he quipped.

He shuddered as her eyes promised pain should he ever bring that up again. Duly noted.

Lux maintained the glare for a moment longer before looking at herself for the second time. "So…I'm just a...what did you say? A copy? I'm still in Demacia?"

He shrugged and she narrowed her eyes at the casual response. "Only way to check is to un-summon you and summon you again."

"I don't think you realize how bad it would be for me if I was discovered to be associated with magic."

At this, Zike raised an eyebrow at her. "Imprisonment? Exile? Execution? Your family tearing itself apart?" The lady of luminosity blinked which made him roll his eyes. "I know what's at stake. However, you have nothing to worry about. While what I use isn't exactly magic, it is completely under control."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow given that he summoned her naked moments before. "Uh-huh. And how sure are you about that?"

"Eh, fifty-fifty." She threw her arms up in the air with exasperation which made Zike chuckle. "It's already happened so too late to change it. Just enjoy the moment."

"You…" Lux groaned before finally shaking her head. Calming her frustration for a moment, she looked around curiously. "By the way, where are we?"

"Somewhere in Noxus." He grinned when her head snapped to him. "Don't worry. That's why I changed your appearance just in case you get spotted. We're just figuring this summoning thing out."

The member of the Crownsguard family put a hand on her face. "But Noxus is currently going through…ugh. You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"

"Yep!" he replied cheekily which earned him a groan from her. "Now, after I made the contract with you, how was your control over your magic?"

She looked down at both her hands and they both watched as they started to glow. "I'm able to control my magic better," she said hesitantly, "not completely. But now it doesn't happen randomly."

"Good!" He clapped his hands once. "Now, it is time to do everything you're afraid of: use magic to your hearts content!"

Zike was unfazed by the blank look he received in response. "Has anyone told you you're a bad influence?"

"No, but I feel like you will be the first of many and I will be proud of it."

o. o. o.

When he watched her use her magic, he realized that the game didn't do her any justice.

Her magic was bright, but it wasn't bright enough to blind him unless she chose to do so. It came with various colors that danced whenever she casted a spell. He watched as her magic burned off portions of trees and lit up areas covered with shadows. It was all so bright. While he looked at his screens to monitor what happened whenever she casted a spell, she was taking exploring what she could do with her magic now that she no longer had to worry about being discovered. He couldn't control her body or abilities. She had sole control of her body and he couldn't just press a key and hope for a spell to pop out.

For example, he ordered her to show him her panties. She didn't do it and blinded him instead. When he gave his reasoning as to why he wanted to see them in the pursuit of how inclined she would be to listen to him, she hesitantly began to lift her skirt and he unhesitatingly began to hyperventilate once he saw the color of them.

It earned him another slap. It was worth it as it proved she had full control of her body.

Also, the panties were white.

But...he found himself disappointed.

Sure, she shot a few beams and made a few glowing balls of light that lit up the area, but she never did the things she did in the game like make light shields or light balls that slowed enemies until it would eventually explode. He wanted to see the more advanced and unique spells. It was either due to limited practice on account of being afraid of her abilities thanks to the culture she was raised in or due to his low level as a summoner. If a champion contracted with him and he was not strong enough, would they get weaker and not be able to use some of their abilities?

Another thing he noticed was that he did not feel his mana draining after the initial summon nor did he see any sign of it on his status screen. In fact, even when he used some of his summoner spells on her, he felt nothing. It was tested by casting ghost on her.

Which caused her to run face first into a tree...heh.

But going back to mana consumption, her own mana depleted and it was evident whenever she used a particularly powerful spell which caused her to be winded the next moment. Both their mana replenished little by little whenever it wasn't full. In other words, when he summons a champion, it is no different from creating a new body with their own mana to use. Kind of scary once he thought about it. In a way, he was creating life. All the more reason to keep this under wraps.

He looked around and up at the sky. It was already dark. It was kind of hard to tell being that the whole clearing was a light show.

"Okay, I think it's time for you to head back now," he sighed, getting up from his spot on a rock and stretching. He closed all the screens except for a mini-map which he made sure to glance at every now and then.

"Is that…it?"

He blinked, looking at his champion. She had long since taken off her hood and allow her hair free reign. The constant use of spells for the past few hours made her sweat and drench the top part of her tunic. The girl took a seat on the ground and looked like she could fall asleep at any moment. "When I said to do everything you're not supposed to do, I didn't expect you to wear yourself out."

The girl gave a sheepish smile, too tired to give a more coherent response.

The summoner snorted. Turning his gaze towards the numerous trees touched by her spells. He reached his hand to touch one tree in particular and snapped his hand back due to the heat and waved it off. "But going off your earlier question, yep. Were you expecting something else?"

"Sort of..."

"Any reason why?"

"You're the only person I can talk to about…magic."

"Hm." Not surprising given her circumstances. There was no one else she could come to about this. "What do you want to talk about?"

He watched as the tension left her body while she gave him a beaming smile. Was it really that important to her? "What do think about magic? Do you think it's dangerous?" She finally asked.

Giving her a deadpan stare, he gestured toward the numerous trees around them which made her wince. Every tree that they could see had scorch marks on them and some of them even had a few particles of light attached to them, casting away a small portion of any shadows close by. An aftermath to a small fire breaking out was the best way to put it.

"Any more questions with obvious answers?"

Lux opened her mouth to defend herself, obviously offended, but closed it at Zike's raised eyebrow and grin. Better to just let it go than fight a losing battle. "Just…since you don't live in Demacia and the place you live in treat magic different-"

"Stop trying to come up with a reason to ask a question or we'll be here all day."

In the end, she gave up and let her body slump. "What's your opinion on magic?" She finally said.

The summoner pondered the question despite seeing it coming. "To be honest," he tested "if I didn't have magic, I would be like Demacia and view it as dangerous." He nodded to himself despite Lux's look of shock and he could also sense a little feeling of hurt. "I won't take it to the degree they take it to with imprisonment or exile, but I would try to stay away from it and won't even try to understand it. You would have been the same if you didn't have your abilities."

Lux looked away, unwilling to meet his eyes.

"But-" Zike suddenly said, "since I _do_ have magic and there's nothing that can change that, I can say that it's something hard to understand. No magic is alike, but at the same time, it's not completely different from one another. For most people, they just have to use it and figure things out themselves. Either things turn out well and they can control it, or things turn out horribly and give Demacia a good reason to continue being hard on mages."

He gestured toward the area around him. "It's the main reason I summoned you out here. To figure out how both our magic worked. Away from where we would be discovered and away from anyone that could possibly be hurt. Can't get rid of it so might as well figure out how it works," he finished with a shrug.

The lady of luminosity was confused. "Why don't you just ignore it if it's so much trouble?"

Zike snorted. "Same reason as you. Eventually it's going to bite me in the ass even if I do ignore it. You can either try and figure it out so the worst is avoided, or you can just let it happen and lose control. I'm just doing the former."

She took the chance to ask another question. "What do you plan to do with your magic?"

"…"

After a moment of consideration, he shook his head. "I think the real question is, what do _you _want to do? We haven't proven that this summoning has no effect on your real life, but after it does, what do _you_ want to do?"

She looked at him skeptically. "You're just deflecting the question."

"And you're just trying to figure out what to do with your magic based off my answer," he shot back. The light user flinched. "But you are thinking too hard on this," the summoner said, placing a hand on his hip. "You're thinking too much about what you are _expected _to do. You're _expected_ to kill me right now so that you have nothing to do with magic since I am a mysterious person with mysterious intentions," he finished with a grin despite her disturbed and horror-filled expression. "Who knows, maybe I am planning to corrupt your mind and have you help me destroy the world?"

At this, Lux tilted her head while staring at him, searching for something. "…You don't seem the type," she finally said after a moment.

"Then that should be enough for you. You have free will and can use your magic to your heart's content and figure it out. You don't have to worry about being found out since I can change your appearance. And now you are given the opportunity to explore the world and also explore yourself without affecting much of your own life. A literal double life." Zike extended a hand toward her, a mocking grin directed to her astonished face. "You always have questions. Go out and look for answers."

She looked at the hand suspiciously. "…You're not going to summon me naked again are you?" Her suspicion increased when he actually stopped to consider it. Then she was worried when he squinted his eyes in concentration.

"Magic is tricky thing that is hard to control," he simply said, offering no confirmation whatsoever.

The answer only made her drop her head into her hands. "I'm already regretting this."

"Oh come on, you're fun to be around."

She slightly lifted her head to give him the stink eye. "Fun to be around or fun to tease?"

"No comment," he said without missing a beat, "just think of it as two friends stumbling over what they can do with the things they have."

Her eyes widened, her mouth agape a moment before shaking her head with a smile. "I'm glad I met you before I followed through with running away," she muttered to herself. Before Zike could question what she had said, she took his hand and shook it. "I am Luxanna Crownsguard and I accept your offer of being friends."

_**Lux's Bond Score: Level 2 - 3**_

"Yeah, you looked hopeless so I couldn't help but take pity on-"

"Don't ruin the moment."

o. o. o.

Sending Lux back was similar to summoning her. The blue runes made a return and disappeared along with young mage. It was really amazing to look at. Video games with the characters saying a final goodbye came to his mind.

Now there was only one thing left to do…

Instead of just placing wards where he wanted to go, he just took the control ward he had made earlier. The thing was a winged pedestal with a ruby placed on top that made its own meager red light. It was barely a competition to the lights that still lingered around him. It wasn't that heavy, he noted, as he picked it up and tossed it in the air a few times. He headed deeper into the dark woods with the ward in hand, leaving the illuminated clearing with the mini-map still open.

He could only think of only a handful of champions that could be in a place like this and they weren't a part of Noxus or Demacia or any other region. There was nothing here that would warrant their attention and while it was hinted that one of them had a connection to Trevale, he doubted he would be in the dark woods at this time instead of a battlefield yelling constant profanities. The only possible champions were those with an unknown location and most of them may kill him on sight. If that happened, he would just use ghost to run away and hope they would ignore them. Not that it would work on some of them considering their cruel personalities.

Suddenly, being randomly teleported was starting to sound like a good idea right now.

Twigs and branches snapped and the ones still attached to trees were brushed away whenever they got near him. They were the only sounds he heard along with the occasional critters in the night, something he was wary of whenever they uttered a sound. The summoner looked at some of the haunting trees, as if something would come out and jump him if he looked at it long enough despite having a map that would tell him such.

However, his grin never left his face.

Eventually, something appeared on his map. Not a grey dot. Red. In front of him to his right. But it wasn't moving.

He saw only darkness out the corner of his eye at its location but kept walking forward.

As soon as he was right next to the spot, he heard the sounds of rustling leaves. Quickly jumping away, he prepared to use his ghost to get away should the situation prove too dangerous. Glowing green eyes illuminated the darkness that rapidly got closer to him.

But he saw it coming. He was prepared.

The eyes made it easy for him to tell what the thing was going to do. As soon as it was just a few feet away from him, it seemed to fly in the air. A leap, but it was slow and predictable. It didn't take much to dodge it. As soon as he could distinguish its form with his ward, he used ghost and kicked it as soon as it landed on the ground, triggering an inhuman scream as it crashed into a tree. He backed away and expected more, keeping its form within his light while he waited for something to happen…

And waited…

And waited…

The creature let out another scream, but it didn't move from its spot. The more Zike focused his eyes, the more he realized that the creature was trying to get up but couldn't.

Okay, he didn't die. Great start so far. Edging a bit more toward it little by little, the summoner directed his ward toward it. Instead of arms, it had two claws that seemed much similar to scythes, the two of them snapping towards him every now and then in a threatening manner. The red light made it hard to distinguish its color, but after squinting, he realized its body had a purple color. But it didn't have fur or any scales. It was an exoskeleton. There was only one species of champions that he knew of that had such a feature. And there was only one champion that had the said feature, deadly scythe-like claws, and green eyes.

"Is that…Kha'zix?" Zike silently muttered with confusion as if he didn't believe his own words.

Kha'zix glared at him, still snapping its claws toward him in order to drive him away despite Zike standing a distance away from it. Its mouth trembled as a low growl came through its throat. It was hurt. Badly. Did his kick do that much damage? Also...

"Aww…" Zike cooed. Look at it trying to look threatening! How cute...

But what the hell was it doing here?! It's supposed to be across a sea and in a jungle! Not in Noxus!

His mind raced as he tried to find an answer. Some sort of reasoning that could explain why a creature of the void was this far away from its place of origin. In the end, he could only draw blanks. It was a complete unknown. Zike palmed his face, looking at the creature through his fingers. But during the brief moment he lost sight of it, the creature of the void tilted its head to the side as it scrutinized him closer. It no longer snapped its claws towards him or looked at him with hostility. In fact, it was almost like it was looking at a familiar face.

Before he could ask himself what happened, a screen appeared and answered him.

_**Kha'zix's Bond Score: Level 5**_

Zike's head snapped toward it, completely baffled.

What?! How the hell?! He didn't even do anything except kick it! Did that do it? Was it some kind of masochistic beast that gets off on pain?!

The summoner shook his head before his thoughts could go off course. Focus. He had to do something. A staring contest between the two started, both of them curious as to what the other will do. Hesitantly, Zike opened up his client and after a few presses, saw the creature slightly jerk from its spot when a screen appeared in front of it.

The same screen to make a contract.

It gazed at the screen for a moment, snapping its claws toward it in a curious manner before Zike gained its attention again with a whistle. The summoner simply pointed to the option that said yes. The creature looked between him and the screen before slowly bringing its claw toward the indicated option.

As soon as it pressed accept, Zike felt the familiar signs of magic coursing through him.

He didn't feel any thoughts from it. There was nothing that it thought of. He felt its instincts. The instinct to hunt and devour. Not to serve some sort of purpose or desire. Not because of survival or anything of the sort. It just wanted to hunt and devour and that was all it could do since the moment it was created. And it would not stop until it died.

_**Contract with Kha'zix, The Voidreaver, has been established.**_

_**Summoner and contracted champions stats and abilities have increased. **_

_**Quest: Alone in the Woods and You Find...**_

_Investigate the woods alone, find the champion, then make a contract._

_**Quest Complete!**_

_Reward: A new champion unlocked, 5000 BE_

Great! Now to investigate and see where this cham-

_**Teleporting to location of Random Contracting quest!**_

...The fuck?

Blue runes appeared underneath him and Kha'zix and the same blue balls of light that he saw when Lux was un-summoned appeared. It only took a second for it to form and only a second more for it to disappear along with the two of them...

Leaving the remains of a nearby wreckage to remain undiscovered along with the decayed corpses of its crew inside of it.

o. o. o.

Author's Note:

Thank you for those who reviewed the first chapter when it was first published and addressing some concerns:

**Acefir**: I will admit I screwed up the pacing a bit and even at the moment of writing it, I felt it was a bit off, but couldn't find a way around it at the time.

**withdranwnmadness000**: Hello and long time, no see! I just couldn't put off writing a story so here I am again with a new one. The only thing I can address is the timeline. The timeline and when certain events happen in the League of Legends lore are a bit…iffy. It is just bits and pieces that readers have to interpret. All I can say is that I am writing this story with a broader view of the timeline rather than a precise view.

And that is all I have for now.

Until next time and be sure to review so I can hear your comments and become a better writer if it's constructive.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**Chapter 3**

"…You're waking up."

Voices were heard outside, but they came as whispers which made it hard to make out their words. A single eye cracked open. A tent made with simple, brown cloth which wasn't that big. Two people could fit in it at most. It was very warm. Mouth and throat felt very dry.

"You're lucky we found you when we did. You were close to death."

Craning his head with the little strength he had, he saw a boy. Old enough to no longer be called a kid, but too young to be called an adult. Dark skin with dark brown hair. Little clothing that was a bit dirty and covered with sand. But he didn't look too bothered by it. It didn't look like he was bothered by anything at all with that look that lacked emotion.

He tried to say something, but nothing came out.

"Careful. You've not had any water in a while." Yeah, he noticed. "Here, drink."

The young boy brought a flask of water to his lips, craning his head so that the water could flow easily. It was warm just like the inside of the tent. But it was something refreshing, nonetheless. With each gulp, he felt a little bit of his energy come back. Wasn't enough to get him up, but it was enough to get him to speak.

"Thanks…"

The boy nodded then pointed to himself. "Kali."

"Zike…"

He felt most of his strength fade away with that one reply, unable to stop his head from landing back on the cloth with a thump. He tried to recall what happened before.

He was in a forest with Lux. They talked and tried out their abilities. Then he looked for Kha'zix. He established the contract. Too late. Then they were teleported. Then nothing. Everything after that was a blank. There wasn't even notification that he received a new quest. The summoner's eyes looked toward the boy, the young man checking his body to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. He thought about asking where the champion was but stopped himself.

He was in Shurima, he could tell that much. That also meant they were more knowledgeable about the void than most people. If they found Kha'Zix, he would have already been killed. Or more likely, the champion would have already killed _them. _

"Calm down, just relax." The boy slightly pushed down on him when he tried to get up. "You're too weak right now. You need to focus on recovering."

Zike took his advice and stopped trying to get up, but relaxing was becoming a lost cause. He needed something else to think about. "When did you find me?"

"Yesterday," the boy said, satisfied that Zike was beginning to settle. "You were almost dead."

Yet here he was, a stranger in their eyes and being cared for.

"So you picked up some stranger you never knew and took care of him...without even tying him up to make sure he wouldn't do anything," Zike said, looking at the boy but only found him tilting his head in confusion. "Well okay then. Where are we?"

He opened his map at the same time.

"We're resting a bit before we enter the Great Sai. Our caravan plans to cut through Zuretta and head toward Nashramae to trade some of our goods."

Which lined up with their current position and the direction they were moving. No enemies around them at the moment but at the same time, the people around him did not have a green color. Except for the one right next to him. "How long…would that take?"

"A few weeks. Usually it would take less but...these routes have been unsafe recently so we need to be careful."

That wasn't the only thing they needed to be careful of. He was on a quest and he could count on one hand the number of champions that he would possibly encounter. Not a single one of them would be a pleasant one.

"Just…let me rest a bit."Zike said, closing his eyes.

Kali nodded and left, leaving the Summoner alone with his thoughts. He opened up his client, but a notification suddenly popped up.

_**Cannot Summon Champions During a Random Contracting Quest**_

Well...at least he knew _now_ instead of later. It wasn't like any champions would be able to help him anyway.

"Stupid game."

He opened his eyes to find a pair of green ones staring back at him.

"..."

**"..."**

Without saying a word, Zike stretched a hand toward Kha'Zix's face...

Then suddenly used ghost to slam it into the ground while getting out of the bed at the same time. The move elicited a pained grunt from the champion though it was muffled by the sand below. He looked toward the shadows covering the tent but no one made a move toward their tent. No one outside heard the inhuman voice. He pressed the void champions head deeper into the sand when it started to struggle.

"Stop moving and I'll let up."

Immediately, the champion stopped squirming and Zike made good on his word, no longer gripping the champions skull which allowed it to spit out the sand in its mouth. Once it was done, it glared at him but the summoner glared back with an annoyed expression.

"You startled me."

That was all it was going to get as an explanation for his actions. There was also the fact that the void champion attacked him when he first met so he wasn't sure if it was coming for him for revenge or not. Seeing as how the claws on its arms had yet to extend in a threatening manner, the idea thankfully hadn't sprung up in the champion's mind. Or at the very least, it hadn't decided to act on it.

**"..."**

It didn't say anything and continued to stare. This was the first champion that had a bond level of five. He didn't know what exactly that entailed but as long as the champion wasn't trying to kill him, he didn't care all that much about it. He was more curious about how he managed to achieve that level in the first place but this wasn't the time.

"Did they see you?" Zike finally asked.

In response, the champion gave an extremely good impression of a deadpan look.

"Right. Stupid question. But how did you-"

Before he could even complete his sentence, the void champion disappeared from his eyes for a few seconds before reappearing. That explained why he couldn't see the champion from his map.

"Okay...and how did you learn to do that?"

**"I ate prey," **the champion simply said with its inhuman voice.

"Hm. Well just keep yourself hidden and stay nearby." As much as he wanted to ask him more questions, he didn't know how long he would have before he would be checked in on. It was best to do it after they completed the quest.

It nodded and once again disappeared right in front of him.

At least he didn't have to look for the champion anymore. Zike let his head rest on the pillow once more to get as much sleep as he could. But just before he did, he opened his map.

The green dot was still right next to him.

"Also, stop staring at me."

o. o. o.

"Have you ever been in the city of walking metal? Have you ever been there? Oh, have you ever been to the north with large mountains and snow?"

"..."

As soon as the caravan was ready to move, he was woken up from his sleep and forced to move despite his current state. He was weak, but he recovered enough to begin walking. Anything was better than being left alone in the desert with no knowledge on how to survive and no supplies to get through the harsh environment. But he felt he wasn't going to last long with this heat.

"And what are the people like? Have you ever seen magic? Is it as strange as they say they are? Is it like the ascended in old stories?"

"..."

Or with these questions. He expected Kali to not be someone of many words. How wrong he was.

He should have kept his mouth shut when he said that he didn't come from here. The game conjured up some Shuriman clothes for him to wear probably when he arrived since he didn't get any questions about his abilities. White, light clothing that covered most of his body and shielded his face from the heat.

"…Is there nothing but sand around here?" Zike asked, looking toward the expansive desert before him. They were right in the center. About twelve people were in this group and about a fraction as many camels and supplies. They weren't fighters at all given that he could see some their ribs which were visible from their chest.

"There are also some ruins. You need someone experienced to find them and most of the time, or else you'll die," the boy cheerfully said.

Zike eyes narrowed. But just for a quick moment. "Sounds like you've been to these ruins before."

"Yep." Pointing to himself, he puffed out his chest. "You're looking at a former scavenger who has explored three ruins."

"And yet here you are. I'm guessing it didn't turn out well?" The dark-haired boy wince, unable to take the blow. The summoner sighed. "You didn't find much, did you?"

"No…but, I know about this desert and how to cross it more than most," Kali said, recovering whatever pride he had left. "But what about you? What have you done?"

_Even as the knight was alone, he still stood for what he believed in. Yet..._

For the first time since this one-sided conversation started, the summoner paused. A pause that dragged on long enough for the boy next to him to get impatient. "So you haven't done anything..."

"I've done a lot of things. It's just that...they are the sort of things things that you wouldn't believe."

The Shuriman boy pondered his answer, looking at his weak state before finally settling on a look of doubt. I won't comment on you living in your imagination," Kali said, making the Summoner's eye twitch. This brat. "I want to see the world."

"You'll find that excitement comes in many forms. Most of them, not the kind of excitement you're expecting."

"Oh! You sound so wise."

A snort was Zike's only response.

o. o. o.

"What kind of food do you like? What do you like to do for fun? Where-"

"Will you just shut up already?" Zike groaned while taking the chance to look around. Even at night, the questions wouldn't stop no matter how much he told him to do so. Everyone was separated, choosing to be by themselves than be together. However...

The summoner looked around and tilted his head.

"It's better to travel with others than to travel alone," Kali said, noticing his stare. At the same time, he made a few glances of his own towards the more sketchy people. His experience with exploring ruins wasn't a solo effort it seems. "With the two of us, it's better to take turns watching while the other sleeps so nothing happens. You always have to be careful of the ones you sleep with."

"Yeah, I'm not exactly a stranger to these sorts of things," Zike said, making the boy blink in confusion but the Summoner ignored him in favor of looking at the ways the sand subtly moved.

"You don't look like it."

"Story of my life," Zike muttered. "Anyway, they won't move because they're afraid of the unknown or more specifically, afraid of me. There's too much risk if they tried to do something." He narrowed his eyes at the way they subtly moved to hide something they didn't want anyone to see. They quickly turned their heads away. "And I'm not exactly making it easier for them."

The boy next to him blinked. "How do you know these sorts of things?"

_She laughed as the world burned around her. It didn't matter if the people around her suffered. All that mattered was that the world was in the palm of her hand. _

"Experience," Zike said. "Lots and lots of experience."

"Raiders!"

Both Zike and Kali perked up, their plans for sleep fading in an instant.

They watched as they were surrounded, the raiders seeming to appear out of the sand with weapons drawn. Blending in with the environment was one of their strengths from what he read. Some of them wore armor, but every one of them had clothes that blended in with the sand around them. Aided with the cover of night, it came little surprise to him that they managed to stay hidden for so long. Their faces were covered with masks that blocked out most of the sand while they hid, giving them the appearance of terrifying monsters.

They started to approach with their daggers, spears, and swords. Zike looked around, seeing all of the people of the caravan tremble in fear, shuffling and pushing one another to prevent themselves from being the first to meet their demise. He looked down to Kali, only to see that the boy wasn't much different. Well, so much for experience.

Zike sighed and was about to stand up but paused when a message from the game suddenly appeared in front of him.

_**Random Contracting Quest**_

_Make a contract with Rek'sai_

_Time Remaining: 30 minutes_

_Reward: New champion, 5000 BE, Return to Noxus at any time. _

Well, talk about timing. He opened up his map and sure enough, the champion was approaching them at a rapid speed. Now how to proceed...

"Oh my gosh, what's that over there!" Zike shouted, pointing to the creature in the distance.

Everyone followed his finger and froze. Even the caravan and the rest of the raiders could do nothing but stare at the thing that approached them. It was hard to see in the cover of night but the large fin that subtly glowed an ominous purple light.

"Rek'sai…" One of them whispered.

As if a pin dropped, everyone panicked at the name. Both raiders and caravan alike started to run in the opposite direction of where the creature was heading. That only spurred it on, increasing its speed and making a chilling roar that echoed throughout the desert. Zike only watched the people behind him running for their lives. Word about how to avoid Rek'sai hasn't spread yet by the looks of it.

"Now Kali, here's what we need to Grk?!"

His words ceased as a dagger was buried into the calf of his right leg. The summoner clutched the limb in pain as he looked up, expecting to see a raider but only found Kali.

With a knife covered in blood.

"I'm sorry," the boy said while refusing to meet his eyes. "But the best way to survive is to leave some things behind."

And with those words, the person who asked a lot of questions and seemed like a nice kid left him to die.

"Heal." Zike muttered, as soon as the person he once deemed his savior ran off into the distance. Moving the leg around to see if it still functioned, he nodded once he realized he could still move with it and looked off to where Kali headed off to.

"..."

He shook his head. Later. First he had to deal with the champion heading towards him.

He opened his map, making sure to watch the approaching Rek'sai all the while. He heard the camels begin to panic when she got close, all them choosing to follow what their owners had done and run. Only difference is that they started running in random directions. Three camels. Two foolishly ran away together while one headed where the caravan had gone, seeming to think that if it returned to its owners, it would somehow survive.

His eyes narrowed when she jumped out of the sand to kill one of the camels that grouped up. She was large, the size of an elephant, but she did not move like one. Much more mobile. The colors on her shell was a mix of blue and purple, with arms large enough to crush boulders and claws that could cut steel. It didn't have a face. All it had were sharp teeth with two in particular looking much like tusks which is used to snap the bones of its prey.

Then it dealt with the second camel.

But the summoner still didn't move. He only kept his map open with a hand stretched out toward it. He only made his move when it finished killing its prey and started to head toward the last camel along with the escaping group of people.

Waiting until it got close, he placed a ward behind it. The reaction was instantaneous. It leapt out of the ground, attacking the object that got in its range. He placed another one to its right and the same thing happened. It couldn't see. Instead, it 'saw' things based on movement. Whenever something moved on the ground, it would trigger its tremor sense. In this case, a control ward being placed down always triggered it.

And there was one funny thing about control wards that he could take advantage of. Back in the game, you are allowed to only carry and buy control two wards in your inventory to place on a map. However-

Rek'sai looked around in confusion, wondering why she didn't taste the blood of its victims or the feeling of crushing bones. Then she shrieked as her senses went haywire.

-The rules didn't apply here. He could buy as many as he wanted and give her hell.

Ward after ward was placed around her. Whenever one ward appeared, the other would break apart as only one control ward could exist at one time. But it was done so rapidly that she couldn't figure out what to attack. And even when she did attack, the incoming signals just wouldn't stop. It was maddening for the large champion.

Unable to take it any longer, she whipped around in a circle, the action tossing up sand and destroying the ward that just appeared in front of her. The summoner had to cover his eyes, briefly stunned. He wasn't that far from her. He was just a few meters away but even then, he felt the effects of the move. Her fin crackled, purple energy circulating which suddenly turned green.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Ghost." Zike said.

He sped away just as the creature of the void leapt toward him, arms raised and poised to shred him to pieces. He was forced to shield his eyes once more from the surrounding sand. With what little he could see, he saw the green color shift back to purple as she burrowed into the ground once more. Wasting no time, he quickly returned to annoying her senses once the energy on her fin turned back to purple. She shrieked and tried the same strategy she tried before, green energy leaking from her fin.

But she didn't find him. Even as she spread out that green like electricity coming from her fin, she couldn't find the source of her annoyance. Because he was too busy laying flat on the ground, whistling all the while. And once he saw that green energy recede back to her fin and turn purple, he once again started to cause her to shriek in pain.

He didn't let up even when it soon transformed into whimpers.

By the end of it, she was above the sand with her huge arms clutching her head. She didn't even move when he started to move closer to her. Tapping his screen, he opened navigated to where to initiate the contract and started it. The screen appeared in front of her, but she didn't notice. It was only when he stomped his foot on her head that she finally realized the pain she was going through had ceased.

"Now, listen here you giant cockroach. I-"

He stopped. Not because she took moment to try and do something. A notification appeared in front of him at that moment.

_**Rek'sai Bond Score: Level 5**_

Zike stared blankly at this new information.

…Well, it's official. Champions are masochistic and he has to give them pain in order to get a high bond score. Good to know. Still, it put a dent in his blue essence. Only twelve thousand left. Wasn't that big of a dent, but it was enough for him.

Ignoring this, he turned his attention back to Rek'sai who pulsed green energy once more. He prepared to use ghost, its cooldown having long since refreshed, but it wasn't necessary. The champion only tilted her head towards him, ignoring the trauma he no doubt caused. She wasn't even reacting to the foot still pressed against her head.

"Can you understand me?"

A click from her mouth was her response. He didn't know if that was a yes or no.

"Well if you can, hurry up and press accept on the screen."

She stared at him for a moment but without any eyes or a face, she couldn't tell what she was thinking. He was about to say something else when her arm suddenly moved and did as she was told.

_**Contract with Rek'sai, The Void Burrower, Established.**_

_**Summoner and contracted champions stats and abilities have increased.**_

_**Random Contracting Quest**_

_Make a contract with Rek'sai_

_Time Remaining: __30 minutes_

**_Quest Complete_**

_Reward: New champion, 5000 BE, Return to Noxus at any time._

_**Return to Noxus?**_

_Yes or no?_

The feelings he felt with Rek'sai was similar to Kha'zix when he made the contract with it. She wanted to hunt and devour similar to the small voidling. But there was also something else he couldn't put his finger on. Make a…home? Establish territory? It was hard to describe. In the end however, it was no different from Kha'zix in how it only thought about these things.

Speaking of which, "Where is...he..."

He trailed off as the champion suddenly appeared before him once again. But unlike last time, the champion's claws were covered in blood. Blood that looked recent.

Zike closed his eyes and sighed. "Why did you kill them?" There was no point in asking something he already knew.

**"They attacked you." **

It thought that those words were enough and it was. The champion was simply defending its Summoner. But still, "Why didn't you help me with Rek'Sai?"

The void reaver tilted its head before turning its head to look at the larger void champion before finally settling its usual stare on him.

**"She wasn't the target of your anger." **

The summoner took another moment to gather his thoughts. "Next _time...if_ there's a next time, don't kill them if you have the chance to do so."

Kha'Zix tilted his head at his words but nodded nonetheless. The summoner was about to say something else but then the champion suddenly leapt towards Rek'Sai.

And started attacking it.

"Kha'Zix what the hell?!" Zike shouted. Rek'Sai recovered from her initial surprise to start fighting back against this new aggressor.

**"Protecting."**

"Bullshit!"

Closing the completed quest, he walked toward them to break up the fight., paying no mind to the time limit that was crossed out.

o. o. o.

_Author's Note: _

_Like always, be sure to review so I can hear your comments._


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**Chapter 4**

Everything was a mess.

First problem: Why was he making contracts and playing this 'game'?

The only reason is wanting to survive. If he didn't make any contracts or follow what the quest says, he would be teleported to a random location. In order to get out of said random location, he has to make a contract with whatever champion the quest names. He had no control over where he would be teleported or who he was supposed to make a contract with.

But they all had one thing in common: The time to make a contract was indefinite. He could take as long as he wanted.

If he was teleported to a random location, he could put off the quest forever. He could try and leave whatever region he was in at the moment, make a living somewhere, and no longer have to deal with being randomly teleported to a location. He wouldn't have to try and figure out how to survive an encounter with a champion.

He would have no reason to play this 'game'. Once the teleporting problem was taken care of, he was free.

Now if only he was teleported to a place that wouldn't screw him over once he arrived.

Second problem: Contracts.

Every contract he makes empowers not only him, but also champions, no matter who they are. If he were to make a contract with every single champion in the world, he would be damning everyone in it. Most of the non-champions would be powerless to stop them should they realize they can take advantage of the powers he gives them. While he did not have to worry about some of them since they were only concerned with defending their home…

No, he was being naïve again. Every champion was a problem because they are in different regions. Different ideals, different cultures, different societal norms, different personalities, different dreams and goals. With all these differences and the sheer number of champions, conflict was all but guaranteed. He has only contracted four champions and with each new contract made, he and other champions will only get stronger.

With there being over a hundred champions, it could be on the scale of a rune war…or worse. And once the bodies start counting once everything is over, if there is anything left, all fingers will be pointed at him as the cause.

Third problem: Bond Scores

Yeah, he didn't know how they worked. He assumed after that fiasco with Rek'sai, he just had to beat them up and depending on how he did, he would be given a score. It explained Riven since he had a low bond score with her, and _she _was the one who beat him up. However, it didn't explain Lux who had a high bond score despite not beating her up.

Not that he would ever do such a thing. Wait, he would be vaporized before he could even do anything so it wouldn't even be much of a fight.

Bottom line was that it was a mystery how the scores worked.

But it didn't change the fact that it was the biggest problem of all.

With bond scores, he just had to say the right things. He knows their lore and knows their thoughts. He knew their strengths and their weaknesses. He knew how their abilities worked and even had some ideas on how they could improve their usage of it. He basically had a guide along with cheat codes to champions and how they worked.

Yet, it was no different from mind control.

Because he knew what to say, he could steer them into doing whatever he wanted. That is further enhanced with bond scores which makes them like him more and makes them more inclined to follow his orders.

Once he got to a high bond score, they would just be shells of themselves, following only his orders. If he told them to betray their nation or their allies, would they do it without hesitation? If he told them to go and destroy the world for him no matter how many corpses there were, would they do it? He would no longer be dealing with champions who had their own personalities any more. He would be dealing with weapons that followed his every order.

They would lose what made them who they are the more they were around him.

The final and most important problem: This 'game'. It was the very reason he is thinking about all of this.

Was this just a 'game' or was this just another world? There was a big difference.

If it was the former, it is just a game after all. Why should he care about everything? If it was the latter, it meant he was dealing with actual lives and couldn't just pass them off as just characters. It was hard to tell which it was. The client and some of its features pointed to a game while his mana along with how he could interact with the environment and how it responded pointed to another world.

It was a matter that would decide whether he should keep the standards that were built up from experience in his own world.

In a game, he could abandon them all and do whatever he wanted. Have sex with some of the champions. See how certain scenarios played out just because he was curious. Hell, start a war or two just for the fun of it and establish himself as king. Just fully enjoy the game and its quests and see what happens. Be a completionist and aim for bond five with every single champion. All the problems from before would no longer matter since he would no longer have any reason to give them consideration.

Playing a game without a care in the world.

But if this was not the case and this was another world?

"…"

This was one of the moments where he wished his memory was almost completely wiped. If it was, he wouldn't have to deal with all of this and could just enjoy this world to the fullest. Yet, it wasn't wiped. Therefore, he still had standards and principles. Standards and principles, he refused to break no matter what happened. Standards and principles that-

Zike's thoughts ceased as he was felt himself lift off the ground for a moment. He was pretty sure he was standing a moment ago thinking about his life. Oh look, there's the ground.

"Gah!" He said as he completed his crash landing. He looked at the perpetrator and she looked like she would rather be doing something else. "Why did you do that?!"

"I tried calling you. You didn't answer."

"Have you tried, oh I don't know, poking me or something?"

"I did. A few times. I even used a stick," she lifted said stick as proof, "you still didn't answer. That's why I threw you."

He glared at Riven. She glared back. Eventually, the summoner relented, beginning to stand up and grumbling all the while. "So? Why did you call me?"

"I won."

Zike tilted his head with squinted eyes. "Remind me again what you won."

"I beat everyone up in our home and now we are comrades." Riven said, puffing out her chest.

The summoner paused. On one hand, she beat some orphans into submission, and he was the one that helped her do it...on the other hand, those same orphans gave him crap when he first arrived on his farm.

"Good job," the summoner finally said, rubbing her hair.

She didn't like that if her frown was anything to go by. "I'm not a dog," she growled out.

"Yes, but I don't have anything else to give you so just accept it," he said with a grin.

_**Riven's Bond Score: Level 1-2**_

His grin fell.

Thankfully, Riven was too focused on smacking his hand away than to notice the sudden change.

"Now what?" She asked, trying to fix the mess that was her hair. Considering what it looked like before, there wasn't much to fix.

"What do you mean?"

"I've beaten the others into submission. What do I do after that?"

He could give her some tips on how to be leader and in turn, a better person. He could help jump start her into getting used to wielding a sword. He could even help with her attitude a bit when dealing with someone more cunning. The urge to help her was strong, unbearably so.

"Now, you have to figure things out yourself." Riven's face twisted into confusion, but he held back all the same. "I can't give you the answers to everything Riven. You have to figure out some things for yourself. I won't always be there to help you out."

For a moment, she didn't say anything. Instead, she was giving him that rude and fierce stare she gave shot him. "You know things," she accused.

"I do." More than you suspect.

She looked like she wanted to say more but shook her head. "You gave me power."

Zike slightly frowned. "…I did."

Riven looked at her hands. "But did it make me strong enough to finally get into Noxus?"

…What?

"…Yes," Zike said after a moment of hesitation. "You should have no problems now. I'm sure you're more than strong enough to get into Noxus thanks to it. If I give you any more help, it would less of your strength than it would be mine. Start building yourself up and get strong on your own…"

He made it all up, but the she nodded all the same. The young farm woman turned away to go do whatever she does after working. He was glad that she was so simple, but at the same time, hated the fact that she believed his words and followed it.

Which lead to another problem in all of this mess: The fact that a champion will start to believe everything he says to the point that they won't think he can make a mistake. And given his lack of knowledge on anything other than champions, the odds of making a mistake are very high. He would possibly screw up their lives by including himself in them and telling them what to do.

They could get by just fine without him. Involving himself when he barely knows this world or even this game will only cause trouble.

"…"

But what did she mean by 'finally'? Did she fail before?

His musings were stopped when a screen popped up in front of him.

_**Emergency Detected!**_

_**Emergency Contracting Quest issued!**_

_**Beginning Random Teleportation!**_

This screen was completely red. Not a dark green color like before.

Well, that's new…oh shit!

Realizing that he was still in full view of the few who had chosen to stay outside, he began to run towards the forest just as runes started to appear underneath him. The symbols followed him even as he ran and hoped nobody would spot him and the use of magic.

The teleportation was complete by the time he reached the edge of the woods.

o. o. o.

The second the teleportation completed, he felt rain. In a matter of moments, he was completely drenched. Taking a look around, he saw stone pillars and structures along with finely cut grass with the occasional patch of flowers. A garden most suited for those of the upper class. In the distance he saw a large building, so he was probably in someone's backyard. He looked down at himself and found himself wearing the same clothes Lux had given him when he first arrived in the prestigious city. Blue pants and a white hoodie.

It didn't take him that long to figure out where he was.

"Demacia," he muttered.

The only thing that he could take solace in was that he was not knocked unconscious upon arrival. Yet, he did not begin to move despite the danger of staying in one place for too long. All he did was stand still, taking in the feel and sound of the rain.

"…Maybe it's not so bad to be caught."

Execution at worse, imprisonment wasn't so bad, being moved to the slums was just fine, and exile was probably best. From the last two, he could just make his way toward Piltover where things were much similar to his world and try to make something out of it. It wouldn't be that hard to start something from scratch.

As he began to turn away and started hatching up a plan, a screen appeared in front of him.

_**Emergency Contracting Quest!**_

_Stop Fiora's Actions and make a contract with her_

_Time remaining for each task: 2 Minutes and Indefinite_

_Reward: New Champion, 5000 BE, return to Noxus at any time_

Urgent contracting quest. Not random contracting quest. And the time limit. It was too short.

"…"

A little curious, all thoughts of escaping this game was pushed away for now. What did he know of Fiora again?

A duelist who was probably the best in Runeterra…arguably. Spoke up during a marriage agreement in front of the family she was supposed to marry. Father had to fight and tried to cheat to save her from exile. Failed and now her entire family has to be exiled. From there, it was an uphill battle of trying to restore her family's honor.

The clock ticked down to a minute. He began to walk and half-heartedly started to search for the duelist. So, what was he supposed to do? Stop her from speaking up during the marriage and save her family? If he were to do that, what he was going to do after that? Plus, the building was too far for him to reach it. He frowned, and thoughts of just putting this all behind him started to tempt him once more.

By the time the clock ticked down to thirty seconds, he reached a large open area in the garden. Bushes surrounded it much like the walls of an arena. In the middle stood one woman. He couldn't see her eyes, but the dark-pink highlight of her hair told him he had found who he was looking for. She looked almost exactly like how she was supposed to look with the tight, teal leggings along with the elegant white uniform, both possessing gold lining. The only exception of the shoulder guards and cape. It probably was meant to symbolize who was head of the house, a title she had yet to take yet.

But it was strange. She was just standing alone, her sword drawn and pointed upwards as if she was facing an opponent. Yet, there was nothing in front of her.

He narrowed his eyes.

"What is she-"

The sword was then pointed toward her own neck.

"Oh crap."

Five seconds left.

"Ghost!"

Just before the blade begun to plunge into her neck, with a great burst of speed, he tackled her to the ground. The woman let out a shout of surprise and dropped her sword from the sudden impact. Landing on the other side of her, the summoner quickly recovered and put his foot on the sword before she could even think about trying again and found himself staring at the woman already on her feet thanks to her instincts for battle kicking in.

"Okay, mind telling me what you were planning on doing?!" He tried to keep calm. If he had taken even a moment longer or freeze, she would not be alive right now. He was pissed off not because of that, but because he is involving himself once more in a champion's life.

And just after he decided not to with all the problems it would cause.

On the ground, Fiora flinched. She was more stunned by the shout than by the fact that there was an intruder in her home.

"Well?"

"Why did you stop me?" Her words, heavy with a French-like accent, was a mix between surprise and anger.

"Because you were about to do something stupid." She was supposed to be a champion, better than the average person. Strong, cunning, precise, and always aiming for perfection. Yet, as he looked on, he did not see that in her. She was pale, and her eyes showed that she hadn't gotten much sleep. Despite the urge to continue channeling his anger, he closed his eyes and took a short, deep breath.

"What happened?" He asked, opening his eyes. Despite calming himself down to a degree, his eyes were still intense. He saw her take a quick look at her sword, making him sigh. "As soon as you tell me, I will give you back your sword." There was still hesitation, and a trace of panic. "You were about to kill yourself. Since I am a witness, I should at least hear your final words to in the event I am questioned else I would be accused of murder."

_**Fiora's Bond Score: Level 3**_

The message did not help him feel any better. It did help in getting the duelist to talk.

"I…" she started, gritting her teeth as words struggled to come out, "I have led my family to ruin. Because of me, my father is to be executed, and my entire family is to be exiled. I should have been the only one to pay the price. Yet everyone else will suffer for my mistake. I…I don't deserve to live."

She did not meet his eyes when he spoke. "And how is this your fault? From how you said it, it sounds like your father is in the wrong," the summoner said, despite knowing most of Fiora's lore.

"It's because of me that he is in the wrong!" The duelist snapped, clenching her hands. "I spoke up and insulted the family who I was supposed to be married off to. Like some pawn that will only be used by others." She said those words with as much venom as she could muster. "Things didn't go the way I wanted. I wanted to fight for the chance to escape marriage, but…"

"Things didn't go the way you wanted."

The duelist nodded. "Their family was offended, and it no longer became a matter between me and my…fiancé," she spat out. "It became a matter between one family and another. The heads of both families were expected to fight for whether I was to be exiled or not, yet my father tried to sabotage it because he wasn't strong enough to win."

"All because of me, my family faces insults from every other family," she continued. "All because of me, I have damned them all, letting all the history and prestige of our family be destroyed. My brothers have not said anything. Before he was taken away, my father has not said anything. I don't deserve to face him or my brothers because I know that they only blame me for everything."

The summoner was taken aback when she grabbed his shirt, clutching it as if it was her only way of keeping himself standing. Looking at her face, he found that the rain was not the only thing that was causing it to get it.

"I'm sorry." She choked out. He knew he wasn't the one she was apologizing to. "I should have gotten on my knees and apologized when I insulted them. I should have just accepted my fate to be married. I should have just done what I was told."

The summoner closed his eyes. "…But you didn't." He felt her hands grip his jacket tighter. "Because you didn't think you did anything wrong." Her eyes looked up and found his looking down on her. "Are you sorry that you didn't follow tradition, or are you sorry that the world didn't follow yours?"

She looked down and spared him from seeing the emotions of frustration she felt along with the tears that resulted from it.

"I don't know what to do."

…But he did. He knew exactly what to do to get her out of this mess. All he would have to do is just mention something about an old cold of honor and things would be back on track for her.

And once he did that, it would all but damn him into playing this game.

Because of just one problem that makes all of his past problems go away: What would happen if he were just to ignore everything? He assumed that everything will happen as they should, but with his few interactions with the champions, he noticed things.

With Lux, she was afraid of using her magic and needed a little push. From her thoughts and how she acted when he summoned her, there were only two moments when she used her magic: when she first discovered it and when he summoned her. She did not experiment with it whenever she got the chance like she did in her lore. With Riven, she needed some advice and a bit of extra power in order to get started because apparently, she failed some sort of test to get into Noxus. With Kha'zix, his entire situation was just strange, but after the contract, he was doing just fine. With Rek'sai, she has been queen of the desert for so long that she has never known defeat before. Now, she will be more cautious and begin to realize that she is not as strong as she expected to be though that was just a guess.

If he had not met them when he had, would they have been in this exact situation? Or would they be placed in a situation much worse with nothing they could do about it? How many lives would pay for their weakness? How many would suffer if they were to die when they weren't supposed to? And considering the fact that some of the champions were leaders of entire nations and some of the things that threaten this world…

"…Damn it."

These quests.

They weren't given because he needed champions to survive. They were given because champions needed him.

And there was only one way to help them and if he ignored this all…

Zike scratched the back of his head.

"…At least I have a reason to treat this like a game now," he lamented.

He closed his eyes, taking in the sounds around him. The sound of rain. The sounds of the Fiora's crying. The sounds of his own heartbeat. They were all ignored when he began to take a deep breath…

Only to release it as a sigh.

This is going to be annoying.

"Don't you think that's enough crying?" He asked. When he got no response, he rolled his eyes and flicked her in the forehead hard, causing her head to snap back a little from the impact and lose her grip on his jacket. Once he finally saw her aqua eyes directed at him, he grinned. "I said, don't you think that's enough crying? Keep on doing this and we won't have time to fix the situation."

The duelist blinked. "Fix the situation?"

He rubbed her wet hair. Easy since she was shorter than him. "Yes. Fix." He stopped once she started to see a hint of annoyance beginning to walk past her. Good, she was more focused on being irritated at him than her mistakes. "Now come on. We have work to do." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Unless you want to keep crying like a proper little girl," he mocked.

That got to her. She comprehended what he just said, and her entire demeanor changed. Despite eyes being rimmed with tears, they turned into daggers. "I'm a duelist, not a little girl." she growled.

He grinned in response despite the aggression. "Then come on," he waved, continuing to walk forward, "let's duel with fate, shall we? Oh, and pick up your sword. You're going to need it."

o. o. o.

It was a strange sight for the remaining maids and butlers of house Laurent. The two of them were wet and dripped water on the floor yet they didn't care in the least about it. The thing that struck them most were their expressions. One had steel while the other had amusement. But one thing they both had in common was that they were both imposing enough that all moved out of their path.

"Because I know things, don't ask, there is a way to get out of this situation. You're not going to like it, but considering the alternatives, we don't have much of a choice," Zike said, following the Fiora a few steps behind. Despite the grin on his face and the slightly playful tone, his eyes were focused. "First thing we have to do is make sure proof of what we need exists to show others that we aren't just pulling something out of our asses." He looked at her. "I assume that your house has some sort of book or list of Demacia's laws and codes of honor?"

She gave a quick look toward him. "…You're not from Demacia." It wasn't a question.

"An accurate assessment." He met her suspicion with a grin. "And? Those laws?"

She stared at him for a moment longer before turning her gaze forward. "…Every house has a record of Demacia's laws and codes of honor. Recorded as books, every house receives one every year unless something needs to urgently be passed. Old laws are passed on or updated if needed, while new ones are added."

Zike nodded. "Good. Because I do not feel like going out in the rain and getting wet so soon." The duelist sneezed. "Or getting a cold." It sounded kind of like a puppy barking. How cute.

In a matter of moments, they reached a set of double doors which Fiora pushed open without slowing her pace. What met their eyes was a large library with most of its shelves empty. Almost all of the books were packed into crates that were going to be transported tomorrow. "What am I looking for?" She demanded, seemingly already knowing where to go with her brisk pace.

"Don't know much about it," Zike said, bringing up his League client along with Fiora's lore. "It's somewhat ancient and all but forgotten."

"I need something more specific," she said, opening a crate and beginning to search.

Zike paused for a moment and the grin dropped from his face.

"Well?"

"…It's a code of honor that allows for a family member to expunge the shame of one of its number in blood, and thus avoid the virtual death-sentence of exile," he read word for word from her lore.

Fiora froze.

Zike sighed. "And despite what you think, Demacia does not see you as the one who shamed its family. You are going to have to fight and kill your own father."

The duelist's hands gripped the edge of her crate, her knuckles turning white from the tightness. Her highlighted hair prevented the summoner from seeing her expression. After a moment, she continued, though at a slower pace compared to before.

"Why me?"

"Multiple reasons," he said, walking up next to her and turning around to lean his backside against the crate. "One of them is that this is a matter that both you and your father caused. On your end, you weren't wrong to deny your marriage. It's just how you did it that was wrong. Publicly shaming them the way you did, given Demacia's society, is not how you should have gone about things. You should have given more thought to where you were and who you were talking with." Even he knew when to keep his provocative words to a minimum, especially with people with more power than him who would get angry at the slightest insult. He would still use them, but they would be subtle enough that it wouldn't get him in trouble. "The way I see it, people treated you like an adult when you acted like a child even though you are no longer such."

"I did not act like a child," she snapped.

"Then how are you and your entire family in this mess?"

She gritted her teeth but did not give a reply to that question.

"And my father?"

"He put his daughter first instead of his entire family."

Her rapier found his neck. He knew it was going to happen at some point. Thankfully, it did not cut to draw blood, but considering her look of anger, that was going to change soon.

"My father-"

"Tried to cheat to save you from exile instead of fight honorably which would have assured his lost and your exile instead of this mess," Zike interjected, looking at her blankly. If he showed weakness, nothing good would come out of it. And now he is thinking like a Noxian. Great. "Face reality. The sooner you do, the sooner you can make sure this doesn't happen in the future. If there is one. The more time we waste, the less of a chance that will happen."

It was a repeated motion of her opening and closing her mouth. Her expression shifted through a variety of emotions. Eventually, she gradually lowered her blade as she turned away from him. The duelist set the blade on the ground and resumed her task, finally finding the book she was looking for and now searching for the code of honor in question.

"…You mentioned there were multiple reasons."

Zike nodded. "Another reason is that despite your young age…and attitude, you are the best duelist of your house. Of that, I am sure of. I've heard rumors that you practiced the sword ever since you were a little girl and even forced one of your brothers to give you lessons."

Fiora clicked her tongue. She tried to do it so that he didn't notice but failed. "Damn squealing pig. He'll pay for talking," she muttered.

He probably screwed over the brother, but he can enjoy that little tidbit later. "With this, along with a certain feeling that I have, I have no doubt that you are going to be the best duelist in all of Demacia. Even all of Valoran." Until a lamppost wielding champion showed up, but there's no need to mention that right now. "And that is exactly why it is you who has to strike down your father."

"Not everything will be resolved after you manage to escape exile," Zike continued. "Your family has committed a great shame, and no one is going to let you, nor your family forget that. In order to silence them, you have to duel them. In order to duel them, you have to become head of your family. In order to become head of your family, you have to show that you are strong enough and resolved enough to lead it. And in order to do that…" he trailed off.

"I have to fight and kill my father," she finished, finally finding what she was looking for.

He nodded and stepped away from the crate. He offered a hand and she gratefully took it as she began to stand up. "You blame yourself for the mistakes you caused. Use this as a chance to redeem yourself. It will be painful. Redemption usually is."

She looked at the book in her hand, the only way out of her current situation before giving him a determined look. "What now?"

The question reminded him of his situation with Riven. So many things to do.

"Visit your father." He began, using his fingers to list things off, ignoring the way her face shifted at each and every task. "Find out a way to set the duel up. Become head. Become the best duelist in the world. Get your brother back for talking behind your back."

"That last one should be moved to the top," Fiora interrupted.

"Keep your priorities straight," Zike said. His grin betrayed his words which was met with a small smile of her own. "I can't stick around due to certain reasons. Plus, I doubt you would rather have someone like me along for the ride telling you what you can and can't do."

"No, I…" Fiora stopped herself, closing her eyes. "You stopped me from doing something that would do more harm than good, and you have helped me and my family despite everything that has happened. I owe you a great debt and it would bring me even more shame if I were not to repay it."

"Well, funny you should mention that!" Zike said with great cheer, quickly opening his client once more. It was adorable how she jumped back at surprise at the screen that suddenly popped up in front of her, falling into the crate with only her limbs and head sticking out. "You can repay me right now by reading and signing this contract because, like you said, I'm not from Demacia and this is my only ticket home."

She glared at him for the surprise but started reading. It didn't take her long.

"This is magic," she said bluntly.

"Not completely. I don't know what it is to be honest." The way he summoned champions was definitely magic. But everything else? Questionable.

"This is cheating and illegal."

"Only if they find out and the only way that's going to happen is if you talk," Zike waved off. "Plus, you are going to need all the power you can get if you want to silence people who are insulting you that come from more distinguished families."

"…I don't even know you." That statement came out slightly surprised. Looks like she just realized that they haven't introduced each other.

"Zike," the summoner said, extending a hand to help pull her out of the crate. "No last name or part of a family. Nice to meet you."

She looked at the hand for a moment and remembered her current state. Flustered and irritated at the same time, she took the hand and pulled herself out of the crate. "Fiora Laurent," the duelist grunted.

Brushing herself off, she looked at the screen in front of her once more before finally accepting the contract.

**Contract with Fiora, The Grand Duelist, Established.**

_**Level Up!**_

_**Level 2 - 3**_

_**Summoner and contracted champions stats and abilities have increased.**_

_**Five champions have been acquired!**_

_**New features unlocked which will be implemented the next day!**_

_**Emergency Contracting Quest!**_

_Stop Fiora's Actions and make a contract with her_

_**Quest Complete!**_

_Reward: New Champion, 5000 BE, return to Noxus at any time_

**Return to Noxus?**

Yes or no?

Precise and to the point. Every strike made had a specific purpose to cause the most damage. Not too surprising from her. What was surprising that the feelings were also delicate. It was much like a rose. The thorns were sharp and deadly, but the flower they were attached to was the complete opposite. How fitting.

"Well, if that's everything, you're on your own now. I'll be in touch." Now he just had to find a safe place to teleport back to Noxus. He would have to get wet again, but the gardens were a good spot.

He didn't make it a few steps away from her before she called out to him.

"Zike."

"Hm?"

"…Thank you."

"…"

He turned around, giving her a small grin.

"You're welcome."

He waved behind him as he left her alone. Once he was out of earshot and out of sight, his grin fell.

"Fuck."

o. o. o.

_Author's note: _

_Two important things and I apologize for how long it is. _

_Tl;dr: Three month hiatus and extending the word count._

_One, I am going on hiatus for about three months because of a seasonal job. It is one of the reasons this feels a bit rushed since I was in a mad dash to get something out so when I return, it would be easier to get right back into it since I have something to work with and therefore, obligating me to continue this story. _

_Basically, I was rushing to chain myself…heh. _

_I will return sometime late August or early September._

_Two, I will be extending the word count of future chapters. As I have mentioned in my previous author's note, I had this grand plan of having every chapter be around ten thousand words or less…_

_And that's not working. It was a struggle keeping that rule and it forced me to cut things out. Writing the first few chapters of this story all but assured me that unless I want something mediocre with just a simple and boring adventure, I have to extend my chapters and make changes to the plan I originally had, especially since I want to introduce every single champion in this story. Compressing it to ten thousand words doesn't really give me enough to flesh things out the way I want it to, and it doesn't really give the champion's enough justice._

_And I want complex story with drama and action dammit! Not some story where readers can expect things to happen!_

_I demand cliffhangers…wait, I'm the writer._

_Shit. _

_Since I am planning to keep the chapter count generally the same despite all of this, I am planning to up the word count to about twenty thousand words or more. It may be less in certain chapters depending on what the chapter is about, but twenty thousand or more will be the average. _

_And with this, I am mostly done with the introduction or maybe I should just consider the first four chapters as being the entire introduction. I was planning to have it only be five chapters, but now I have about two more chapters planned. Just one more than what I decided. Once I get back and finish those two chapters, the introduction/prologue of introducing everything will be over and it will be time to really get into the world of Runeterra. _

_And as for those new features mentioned before…_

_Let's just say that I will enjoy writing about it a lot. I will give nothing away until I get back because I am cruel like that._

_And that is all that I have to say. This note is a bit longer than I wanted it to be, but I wanted to make sure to keep everyone updated so they don't think I dropped this story. Like always, __be sure to review so I can hear your comments._


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**Chapter 5**

"Okay, that should be enough."

Etched onto the dirt was a bubble diagram with five of the bubbles being larger than the rest. The smaller bubbles that connected to their larger counterparts were sloppy, but they were short, simple, and suited his purposes. They had to be considering how large the diagram was.

The summoner looked down at his handiwork, cupping his mouth with a single hand and tapping a finger against his cheek. His other hand rested at his side, still wielding the stick that did all the writing. It was only the morning after his recent teleportation. He did all his chores and made himself scarce as soon as possible, not even meeting with Riven. There was no point to considering the last words he spoke to her which left him to focus on more important things.

More specifically, the four main threats that Runeterra has to deal with.

The Shadow Isles. The Darkin. The Void. The Watchers.

These are the four main problems that can tear Runeterra apart if there are no champions to stop them. Two of them are in specific regions while two of them could be anywhere on the planet which was why they had more comments compared to the rest. They were more like questions and guesses that he asked himself.

When ranked in terms of how much of a threat they are, the Void took the lead by far. It was hard to fight against a foe whose powers are based on nothingness and could corrupt or devour others if they were to interact with it. Even magic itself was nothing but prey for the Void and they could show up without warning which made taking care of them seemingly impossible.

Next are the Shadow Isles followed by the Watchers. Although the Watchers were supposed to be lumped up with the Void, the lore mentioned something about Void subspecies. It was best to treat them as an entirely new threat and consider that they may do things differently compared to the rest of the void because of it. Not much information is known about them except from bits and pieces from the lore and that ghost from ARAM.

The summoner let out an annoyed sigh and started to write more things on the dirt.

Well, even if the Watchers and the Void were lumped together, it didn't change the fact that the Shadow Isles were a very close second. The challenges of facing the dead was already present in movies back in his world, but it was even worse now because instead of zombies, he was facing ghosts. Ghosts that some weapons may not have an effect on. Ghosts that grew in number as they took more lives. Ghosts that could use magic and skills that were lost to time but are still deadly.

Zike shivered. He very much hoped he was not randomly teleported there. It was an assured fate of eternal suffering at his current state.

Last but not least, are the Darkin. Most of them were trapped inside weapons scattered across Runeterra which made them something of a latent threat. That could easily change if people were pushed far enough to take drastic measures. Two of them were released thanks to a _single _war and their existence as life draining weapons cannot be ignored. Push the world far enough and another Darkin war will erupt to tear the world apart.

These are the things that he has to deal with and they all have one single similarity.

He didn't know how to deal with them.

Oh sure, there were lots of lore and even some info on their abilities, but none of them gave any hints as to how to completely stop them for good. There was no point to writing such a thing when the lore was being made. He didn't even know if there even _was _a method to stop them for good. Because of that, all he could do was compile all the information he has on them.

Zike tilted his head to the side.

But it's not all that bad. All of them have some history that may give hints as to how to stop them or at the very least, repel them for years. The lore he possesses only gives summaries, but the lore within the world itself may give a more complete picture as to how to deal with them. They were stopped before and they could be stopped again. Even if the same trick doesn't work twice, there would still be a framework as to how to stop them a second time or even a way to stop them for good.

Zike tilted his head to the other side.

Unfortunately, that would mean that he would have to go to the location of where each threat originated and try to find such information. In his current state, it is a death sentence. He isn't not strong enough and he didn't even know if he is getting stronger each time he leveled up or get a champion. Plus, even if he were to somehow survive, find the place where such history was stored with an absurd amount of luck, and actually get it in his hands, it would be in an entirely different language. He could speak and listen to others just fine. He didn't know if the same translating liberties the game gave him applied to reading.

The summoner let his head drop, releasing a much more irritated sigh.

And this finally leads to the biggest bubble of all which could be the solution to all his problems or something that will pour oil on the fire.

Champions. Because Runeterra wouldn't be the way it was without them.

As opposed to everything else, this was a massive can of worms. No, maybe even a building filled with worms that was seven stories high. Because the fact of the matter is, he needs their help and they need his. For him, it was a matter of survival and trying to make sure the world doesn't blow itself up. For them, again, massive cans of worms but to put it simply, to achieve their own goals. Which consists of revenge, chaos, torture, war, destruction, helping the very threats that he is trying to stop and etc. The number of genuinely good-natured champions is disturbingly few.

But the best part about all of this is that not only does he have to try and get a contract with them without dying in the process, but he also has to try and get them to work together once he starts to level up and obtain more champion slots for summoning. One way or another, champions will be interacting with their allies and foes alike and he has to try and make sure that they didn't end up killing each other. Or him.

How fun.

The man in rags groaned and pinched his nose.

At least bond scores were an advantage in all of this despite his qualms about it. Thanks to it, he has managed to get out of a few complicated situations. He is going to have to use it to solve some of the problems that come up when different champions interact with each other and there _will _be problems that come. Maybe he could stop some of the potential wars or fights that will occur before they can begin.

Zike shook his head. That was naïve thinking.

"I won't know until it's right in front of my face."

And if a fight happens before he can stop it, he will just have to play it by ear.

Looking at the compiled information on the ground one last time, he nodded to himself and dragged his feet across it. Better safe than sorry than leave it for anyone to see. This would have been so much easier if he had pencil and paper, but he was poor along with this entire farm so that was a no go. Too high class for them.

Once he was done and made sure that not even a letter was left, he nodded to himself and turned away to leave…

"…"

He didn't walk away. Instead, he turned back around and with the stick still in his hand, drew one word on the ground.

Summoner.

The only reason he could guess as to why he was here is if the situation was so drastic that there was no choice but to summon him. The threats that were mentioned before could be the cause…but if the world was left on its own, they would eventually be solved. Maybe. Or at least, that is what he thought. No, there was something else at play. Fiora almost taking her life and Kha'zix somehow ending up in Noxus's region was just too strange. If the world was left on its own, those things wouldn't have happened. Which means something or someone must have thrown the world off course which could make all the information he currently has all but moot.

Which brings up the question: Were there other summoner's like him?

If there were, are they also supposed to contract champions like he was? Were they transported from Earth to Runeterra like him? If so, how long ago and is it so long ago that should he meet them, they would be much more powerful? He had little to no information on anything outside of this farm and the random teleportation that occurred every now and then did little to help him in that regard.

But more importantly, do they have the same sort of quests that he gets? He was tasked with contracting with champions and making sure they do what they are supposed to. Are they tasked with something completely different? Or worse, something completely opposite?

He was in a world that was previously part of a game. Is there more than one player and can there only be one who survives?

_Ding!_

**Quest: One Step at a Time**

_Complete the Noxus Recruitment Trial and get into Noxus_

_Time Remaining: Two Weeks_

_Reward: 2500 BE, Access to the city of Noxus_

_Failure: Stuck in Trevale until next year._

As soon as the summoner finished reading the message, he snorted. He forgot the situation that he is currently in. Stuck on a farm with no resources to work with. If the game was against him or was just using him amusement, it was best to play along. It would bite him in the ass later on, but best play it by ear than worry about it and be stuck in the same place.

With all the lore that he currently possesses, with all the information on champions including their abilities, personalities, and goals, and with the powers of a summoner, it was time to start forming up a plan instead of continuing making predictions as to what could happen. Predictions can only take him so far.

"…No other goal except that."

All he had to do was make sure his goal. And to do that, he has to make sure he is ahead of everyone else by a large margin. Good thing he already has a head start with all this information.

Now to start abusing it in all its glory.

o. o. o.

There were multiple farms, not just one his own. The discovery was made thanks to the more detailed information given by his map after coming to Runeterra. But rather than all of them being clustered together, they were spread out in different areas. Some were close to the sea while others were close to the mountains. The closer to the mountains you went, the more uneven the ground was and the more work you had to do to keep the farm running such as getting water for crops.

"That's three."

The farms also had their fair share of orphans. It seemed that every farm also functioned as an orphanage because, hey, free labor. Given Noxus's conquering traits, it wasn't surprising that parents didn't return and died on the battlefield. Some of them have been sent here to be looked after until they reach an age where they could follow in the footsteps of their parents. It was a tough and difficult environment, perfect for raising strong, brutal soldiers.

Sticking to the trees, he turned his gaze to another farm that was just a few miles Southeast from his own, but more importantly, closer to the sea. In the distance, he saw a mixture of teens and adults working on the farm. A silent growl rumbled in his throat once he saw that they had better clothes than he did. They probably were better fed too. Much better than the crap that he got.

The man who takes care of them barely even did his job. He came by, checked on what they did and if they did what they were supposed to, which was probably a waste of time in the end since he didn't check everything, give them some crap to eat. He wouldn't call it food since he found a bug in one of his meals before. Then their caretaker would just go off somewhere and leave them on their own…

He probably had a home somewhere much nicer and was only taking care of them for extra money. But saying that he was taking care of them was a stretch. Making sure they were still alive was more accurate.

Zike's eyes lingered on the farm a while longer before he started to prowl through the woods once more, making sure to set down a ward every now and then. The map floating in the air showed various grey dots representing harmless creatures and the occasional red one which was always steered clear from. Making sure to watch his step, he made his way through the steep ground and toward another farm.

Though his home was closer to the path that leads to Noxus, it was hard to navigate through and extremely steep to the point that it was impossible to cut through the woods reach it. Not only that, but it was filled with dangerous creatures. The sheer number of red dots in those parts of the woods stunned him. How he and every other orphan didn't die yet due to the wildlife was beyond him. Long story short, it was better to take the path that begins somewhere next to the town of Palclyff where more of the trees have been cleared and the more dangerous wildlife driven away.

It didn't take long to find the fourth farm. Kind of hard not to considering the fences surrounding it. And the fact that it had more crops compared to the last farm and better-looking people. What was with his group? Was it the slums or something? He spotted some of the older adults doing something with the teenagers. Drawing closer made the view much better, but the same couldn't be said for how he felt.

They were training them. With steeled weapons and not the sticks that his group has.

"At least I know what she meant by that now," Zike grumbled, recalling Riven's words. But he needed more information. Feeling that it was time to move on, another ward was placed into the woods…

Two red dots moving towards him. Cursing, he took the ward in his hand and moved behind a tree.

Armor clinking. Whispers. But he didn't dare peek from behind. He watched as the two red dots stayed in place for a while before heading off in another direction. A direction that was closer to the next farm he was hoping to scout.

"Of course, it would be guarded because why not?" Zike drawled.

On the bright side, he was feeling more and more like a certain bandana wearing soldier. All he needed was a trusty cardboard box at this point.

Once the two dots were gone, he slinked through the woods with more caution. Every sound was scrutinized, and every movement was checked twice. He made sure to stop when there was red and made sure to move swiftly when there was nothing but grey. Though the wards gave him info, it was limited in that he needed to use his own senses to pick up the things their range didn't cover.

In half an hour, the destination was reached.

"Well they're looking well off."

The fifth and final farm. Right next to a bridge that led to a market square and town of Palclyff in the distance. But the farm itself was much larger than the farms he's seen so far. The fences were made of stone and high enough that it made it difficult for small vermin to get through. From what he could see from over it, the farm looked organized and structured with sections growing a specific crop.

More importantly, he could see a clearing where multiple children trained with a soldier at the forefront. A soldier that was barking orders that he could hear even from this distance.

"Hmm."

The punishment of being caught at this point would not be pretty…but considering the things he could get away with…

He took a deep breath and jumped over the stone fence, making himself scarce amongst the crops. There were no trees to hid behind nor convenient boulders. While it was fortunate that most of the children were focusing on their training, there could be some others still out on the fields. Not only that, but it looks as if the training has been going on for a while.

Which meant he had to do what he had to do and fast.

Moving through the crops was a challenge compared to the woods. It was easy to push the plants aside, but there were more chances to get spotted as the ward he instinctively placed told him. If he moved to quickly, they would investigate…or assume he was a large animal and shoot an arrow. Then they would investigate. Or they wouldn't assume anything and just shoot.

You could never be too careful with Noxians.

He moved just close enough to the training session where although he would be close enough to hear talking, not so close enough that he could get spotted so easily if the soldier's eyes strayed or if a patrol happened to pass by.

The plated soldier looked at the crowd of teens a moment longer before raising his hand. The farmers moved in the opposite direction and dropped to the ground right then and there, panting and out of breath. Not one of them complained or dropped their steel weapons.

Disciplined little monsters.

"Sloppy," the soldier shouted after a minute of silence. "Still not good enough. What I want to see from you is not just defeating your enemies. I want to see you _crush_ them." The soldier glared at each and every one of them. "I don't care if they are weaker than you are or less equipped. You destroy them with no mercy."

Good advice.

Zike took the moment to flip him off.

"As you all know, conscriptors will be coming to Trevale and Palclyff in two weeks and the test is being held in this spot."

The soldier brought up a map and pointed to spot which was homed in on like a hawk. But there was no need to because the next moment, his map opened and indicated the location. It was between his own farm and the next one in the middle of the woods.

Where the elevation was annoying, and the animals were even more annoying. Great. He couldn't blame them for training so much. He kept his middle finger up until the point where he started to walk away, still trying to stay out of their sight. He got what he needed so there was no need to stick around and hear is speech about how all enemies should be cut down.

He already knew that there would be a test to get into Noxus and knew it would be a test where they would have to prove themselves. And now he knew where it was being held and what he was up against. Compared to before when he didn't know zilch, the odds were looking somewhat better.

Which meant a minuscule notch above abysmal.

They still had better training, better food, better equipment, better food, better treatment, better food, better food, better weapons, and his farm had nothing. The least their caretaker could do was give them was something to fight with.

Zike stopped and blinked.

If this was like a game, doesn't that mean that he also has an inventory where he could store stuff in it?

"…"

Instead of moving back towards the stone fences, he started to head deeper into the farm where most of the buildings were. The color red started appearing more frequently on the map as wards were placed. Luckily, no one was in any of the buildings ahead. But that soldier was wrapping up given how the shouting he heard started to lessen in volume more and more.

"…Screw it."

Throwing all sense of stealth out the window, he dashed out of the crops and tried to find his target. He had to find the armory and fast. Even if he didn't have an inventory to store amour and weapons, he could at least take something like a knife or sword for himself. And how did he know there was an armory on the farm?

Because Noxus. Enough said.

"Ghost," he whispered.

One building was checked. Then two. Then three. It was the fourth one that was probably the winner given that it was locked and in between the buildings where everyone slept. Easier to get up and get ready for battle that way. There were windows but they were too far up.

He knew this wouldn't be easy, but still!

Maybe he could just use ghost and ram through it? No, that would cause too much noise. He had to focus on the doorknob, but he didn't have any spells that could deal with it. He cupped his mouth and tapped a finger. Could he use ghost and speed up his movement so that he could just karate chop the knob? Sure, it would hurt like hell, but he had a healing spell and could-

His musings were cut short when the doorknob fell off. Just like that.

"…Okay then."

Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, he pushed his way through the door and found the motherload. Weapons. Amour. Better clothing.

But he ignored all of them in favor of the piece of bread that someone just left on the table. Was he still breathing right now?

He didn't so much as reached than leapt toward it like a beggar and almost started crying right then and there. Real food. Life is not as hopeless as it seemed. He didn't even care if someone already took a bite out of it. Anything was better than the crap at his own place.

With the bread still in his mouth, he reached for a sword and opened his menu. Now, to see if this was like those books that he read. The sword was pushed into the menu…

And then it disappeared. The menu navigated to the chest icon where he could see the sword stored. Success! He took this time to take a few knives too along with a bow and a quiver of arrows. Once he was done, he started to make his way toward the door.

"…"

He turned around and looked at the armory once more, gazing at all the weapons and armor that this farm would use for the recruitment test. Weapons and armor that would be used against his own farm. And then he remembered how his inventory box looked so empty and cold…

Zike's face was blank as he swallowed the rest of his bread in one gulp and licked his lips.

o. o. o.

It was while Zike was walking away from the armory that he was finally caught.

"Hey. You."

Zike, covered in armor that protected his limbs and chest, snapped his head toward the sound. It caused the helmet that was much too big for his head to spin around and make him lose his vision. Despite this, he stood at attention with swords in his hands.

"Yes!"

"Turn your helmet around dumbass," the man in front of him grunted.

Zike blinked and looked down at the swords in his hands which he couldn't see. Judging by the footsteps and mumbling, the man noticed his dilemma and fixed his helmet for him. And not very gently. If it was just a little smaller, it would have torn some skin off.

"Thank you. I really should have gotten a smaller…"

The summoner trailed off.

"Helmet?" The man finished with a raised eyebrow.

The summoner showed no emotion on his face and nodded. "Yes. A smaller helmet."

The man narrowed his eyes. Ready to kill. Ah crap. "You don't look familiar. If you're from around here, you should know my name by now. After all, everyone should know my name."

The summoner paused for a moment and considered his answer. "Draven. Kind of hard to forget a proud and living breathing soldier of Noxus."

The man was a few heads taller than him. But he wasn't wearing his signature armor nor his memorable mustache. Instead, he was body was fully covered with Noxus body armor with a sword at his side, scowling down on him. No axes, no mocking smile. Just a soldier of Noxus who was doing his job.

The sight almost made him break his expression.

Draven's face relaxed a bit upon his answer. But only a little. "Hmph." The mustached man looked at the swords in his hands. He nodded towards them. "Why the swords?"

"Need them for training. Some of the others wanted to spar a bit."

It was Draven's turn to raise a suspicious eyebrow. "The armory is locked."

It was a statement, not a question.

Zike blinked dumbly. "It was? It wasn't when I went in there." At Draven's pointed glare, the summoner took a step back. "I swear. You can go and check if you want. I'll just stay here."

Draven glared at him for a moment before making his way toward the building in question. The door was left ajar which wasn't surprising. New recruits did stupid things all the time. What was surprising was the doorknob being cut off from its place. Cleanly to and not by some amateur. But that paled in comparison to what he saw inside the armory.

Or more specifically, what he didn't see. All the swords. All the armor. Everything was gone. The place was completely stripped bare.

Draven ran out, sword in hand.

Only to see swords clatter on the ground where the 'soldier' once stood.

o. o. o.

"_I didn't say how long I would be staying there."_

Zike watched as Draven ran, no doubt to capture and kill him. Shame that he was heading to the wrong place. All he did was just run to the other side of the building without a sound. There was no way he could possibly outrun him. Compared to his out of shape lazy self, he was dealing with a man who fought his entire life. So, he didn't even try.

He was being smart, not lazy.

"So, that's Draven…I wanted to see the mustache."

Shrugging, he looked at his map. He could think of a few ways out of this situation, but all of them required him to get moving and now. No point in laughing how he was ruining their chances if he wasn't alive to do-

His musing was stopped when he saw an enemy running toward him. From behind.

Well, if it was a fully-fledged soldier, he's dead. But if it wasn't…

Zike ducked over the sword strike aimed to take off his head, hearing the whistle of the wind above him. Lazily, he stretched his foot out and grinned as his pursuer tripped on their own feet and tumbled in front of him. The grin slightly dimmed when instead of ending with their face flat on the ground, it ended with them on all fours with an intense look.

"Surprised you didn't fall flat on your face." He blinked when he realized that he wasn't dealing with a man, but a woman, her long chestnut hair tied up into a ponytail. Not fully grown but around the same age as him. Still didn't change the fact that she was going to try and kill him.

She wasn't fully armored. Good for him.

"You're an intruder," she replied coldly.

"…Did you figure that out before or after you tried to cut off my head?"

He could already hear shouting from a distance. Some would try to chase him down while others would investigate the area. He was running out of time and judging by the small hint of confidence on her face, she knew it. "Well, I would love to stick around and chat, but I have to go. See you later."

"You're not going-"

She was cut off when he threw his helmet at her head. It was easy to slap it away with her other hand, but the action left her open to a brutal, ghost-enhanced gut punch that took the breath from her. His pursuer fell to her knees the next second, gasping for air.

More speed equals more power. Or more specifically, more acceleration means more force. Oh Newton. What would we do without you?

"Like I said," Zike mocked, giving her a two fingered salute, "see you later."

She could do nothing as he began to run away.

"Bastard…"

o. o. o.

There was a reason why Zike was so confident and sure that he could escape. In the morning, two new features were contained in the notifications he received.

The first feature was escort…and he didn't know what it did. There was a message at the top of the screen saying that escort was currently active but other than that, nothing. No new buttons or abilities.

Which left the second and more important feature that was the key to his escape.

_**Congratulations!**_

_Due to contracting five champions, two new features have finally been implemented!_

_**Would you like to be teleported and explore the second feature?**_

_Yes/No?_

It was the reason why he went out and scouted out the competition. It was an easy escape tool that could be used once things got too heated. It didn't even disappear when he closed the notification, so he had nothing to worry about and went out to get information he needed. The only thing he had to do was make sure no one saw him teleport.

It was foolproof. There was nothing to worry about.

Zike fell a few feet above the ground and landed on his back.

Except gravity.

"Stupid magic!"

He was injured! Can't the game give him a break!? Sure, he can heal that injury but still!

Wasting no time, he quickly sat up and pulled an arrow out from his side.

"Motherfu- Heal!"

Damn salty Noxian bastards. Shot an arrow at him just as he jumped through the fence. If it landed just a bit higher and he would've worried.

In a second, the wound was gone and after wiping away the blood, there was not a mark on him. It did nothing to the memory of the pain, making him wince unconsciously when touching where he had been hit. With the most troublesome thing out of the way, he let out a tired sigh and let himself collapse on the ground.

"Ow."

Stone. Collapse on stone.

He didn't bother sitting up and looking around. What time was it by the time he was making his escape? Late afternoon? The last time he checked his clock, which was included in the interface, was before the third farm. Instead of checking, he just turned his head left and right and tried to find out where he was teleported to.

It wasn't like anything back in Noxus where everything looked dead and terrifying. Here, there was life. Trees and plants could be seen as far as his eyes could see past the stone he was laying on. The sounds of the forest's inhabitants were much similar to the as birds and cicadas he was used to hearing. The sun was high in the middle of the sky signifying instead of more towards the west.

Where was he?

Sitting up, he realized he was in some a place that was in ruins. No buildings. It was just stone with markings that was separated from the life of the forest. Not too far away were steps leading to some sort of platform. And at the end of that platform…

A stone statue? Isn't this-

"Summoner's rift," he gasped.

This was the location that so many battles took place. This was the location where champions from different regions fought for victory or suffered defeat. This was the place where the game League of Legends made history. And this was the place where so many memories were made. He was sitting in a legendary place.

"…Meh."

Looked like crap now. There wasn't even a nexus crystal for him to try and blow up.

He opened up his menu.

_Ding!_

**New Feature Discovered: Summoner's Rift**

_Current Time Efficiency: 3%_

_Current number of Champions that can be invited regardless of slots: 4 _

_(Only champions with a Bond Level of 3 or higher can be summoned into Summoner's Rift.)_

_Current Number of Minions: 0_

_Current Number of Regions Explored: 0_

"Wow, that explains absolutely nothing…again."

Closing the notification, he looked at his screen and found nothing new except that blinking light on the chest icon. It was something he didn't explore that much. A brief glance to check if stuff could be stored in an inventory was all that he knew about it because of loot boxes.

Those demonic creations that tempted the weak.

But he is going to have to ignore the feelings he currently has for it in order to figure things out. So, with great hesitation, he pressed the chest icon.

Three tabs. Inventory, champion items, and minion management. There was also some sort of system in the empty space next to the tabs that had blue essence at the bottom. It was similar to unlocking a skin in the game except there was no skin to unlock. In fact, there was nothing to unlock. But it still had a cost.

Five hundred blue essence...so it wasn't a loot box. It was something similar to it. Something worse.

"Gacha..." Zike hissed as he narrowed his eyes. It was no different from a loot box, but it tempted him more times than he could count. He's not going to fall for that trap anymore. In fact, in order to prove that he has a lot of willpower compared to the last time he encountered these things, he's just going to try it out once just to mock it. He's gained a lot of power due to being transported to a new world. He was a slave to the gacha no longer!

He pressed the button to start the machine and blinked. All color drained from his face once he realized what he did.

"…Shit."

Did he just walk into hell again?

Shaking his head, he focused more on the machine doing its thing. "Probably going to be crap for the first roll," the summoner snorted with a bored expression.

That expression quickly changed when the light the box was emitting turned golden.

"Let's go! Give me something!"

It need not be said that he was hyperventilating at this point.

When the mechanism finally stopped spinning, a picture of a minion in a white robe showed.

A minion. A god damn minion. Those small things that get killed so often that it put the word genocide was a huge understatement.

_**Congratulations! A Five Star (Highest Rarity) Minion Acquired!**_

Zike stared at the screen with a blank expression. His gaze then directed itself towards the sky.

"My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. Actually, my day was already ruined by getting shot. Now it's worse. Thank you, League of Legends."

Never had he felt so much joy that had been crushed in a mere second. Such was the cruel hell of the gacha. Whatever. It was just a test anyway. He's not going to use it again. A few clicks later and the minion appeared in front of him through a cloud of smoke.

It was small. Very small. It's height only reached up to his knees and it wore a white robe. It didn't have a face. Instead, all he could see was darkness in its hood that covered its head along with its eyes. Not human eyes with pupils or anything. Just the sort of white eyes you would usually see when there was black instead of a face.

"…"

It stared at him with a bored eyes, blinking every now and then to show that it was indeed alive and not some stuffed toy.

"…Hm." Zike tilted its head at…him? Her? It?

_**Name?**_

He looked at the minion a moment longer before nodding his head. "I'm going to call you…boss. Because you look like a boss to me." And because he was reminded of a game before he thought up the name. Might as well take something from it.

The minion only blinked in response.

Zike sighed at it.

"You don't talk, do you?"

This time, the small creature nodded.

There was never a case where a minion talked. They made gestures and faces in animations, but they never talk. So much for conversation. At least it could understand him. Instead of getting annoyed, he sat down and extended his hand, giving a bored expression of his own.

"Zike."

The minion stared at the hand and then to his face before extending the hand covered by its robe and shaking it. It looked like it was in its pajamas now that he thought about it. After a couple of shakes, the summoner let go of its hand stood up and let out a yawn while stretching his arms.

"Now, what to do next?"

It was best to put off exploring this place until tomorrow rather than try to figure things out today. Heading off into the great unknown by himself was a bad idea. But at the same time, he couldn't just go back just yet. He didn't know if he would be teleported somewhere else or back to the same place filled with Noxians that wanted to gut him.

It was best to wait a few hours at least for things to cool down.

"I wonder if this place is dangerous though."

He felt a tug at his leg and saw boss staring at him with the same bored eyes it had before. It extended its hands, gesturing to the ruins around them and gave a thumbs up.

"So, you're saying this specific area is safe?"

Nod.

"How do you know that?"

No answer. It just stared at him. Didn't even blink.

Zike raised an eyebrow. "But you just got here."

It rolled its eyes. But the gestures didn't stop there. It pointed to itself before pointed a finger at three spots.

"You want…three more of you?" Zike asked, which he got a nod in return. "I'm not spending all of my blue essence to try and get three more five stars." The higher the rarity, the less chances to get it. Less if the people controlling it are feeling stingy. Instead of showing anger or disappointment at being denied its request, Boss just waved its hand. The summoner's face scrunched up as he tried to interpret the message. "It…doesn't matter what rarity they are? So long as you get three more of you?" He guessed.

Thumbs up.

There was no harm in it, and it won't take that much of a hit to his blue essence. It was still suspicious. He didn't know how these minions worked. For all he knew, they could be trying to scheme up some evil plot and try to overthrow him. After all, most of its brethren were killed in droves in the game. Billions or even trillions.

He stared at it. He stared into the black abyss that was supposed to be its face.

Boss stared back with boredom, completely relaxed.

"…Fine." Zike relented. He wasn't giving up. He was just testing out the minion system a bit more.

Five minutes later and there were three more minions of different colors. One black four star, and two three stars, one red and one blue. In order, he named them Snake, Red, and Blue. While Blue and Red looked at him with curious eyes, general looked at him with a much more serious expression.

Strange. Did the stars determine their personality or was it just random?

"Okay," Zike said, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "Are you guys absolutely sure this place is safe?" In response, all the minions gave him thumbs up including boss. There was no hint of any deception. Boss must have wanted to summon the others just to give further proof. "…I'll take your word for it." He paused. "…I don't suppose you can figure out how this place works can you?" It was a long shot, but it didn't hurt to ask. They somehow knew that this place was safe, so it was possible they knew other things.

All the minions looked at each before ending with Blue and Red looked at Boss and Snake. Snake gave a thumbs up while Boss gave a shrug, earning a glare from Snake. Oh great. Internal strife.

"Whatever." The summoner waved his hand before a fight could begin to erupt. "Just…do whatever you need to do. I'm just going to take a nap."

While the minions gathered up and began to…gesture among themselves, he went toward the steps leading to the platform and sat down, opening more menus. Just for a few hours which will be enough time for everyone back in Noxus to be less alert enough for him to escape. He fought off a yawn threatening to be break out. There were still some things to check over. Might as well look them over when he had the time.

Even if there was a small hiccup, his plan was still foolproof.

o. o. o.

"Why?!" A teen said, staring up at his oppressor who stood before him as the sun set behind her. Bruised and battered, it was all he could do. The ability to get up was knocked out of him after the second punch. "Just leave us alone already! We've already lost!"

Riven ignored the teen's desperate plea. Instead of continuing her assault, she grabbed him by the back of his shirt and with a roar, threw him into the pile of the defeated which consisted of all of the people on this farm save for one. The body crash landed on top of the others, causing them to painfully groan in response to the increased weight. It didn't get back up.

Riven spat off to the side as she placed a hand on her hip, not even wincing when she touched the spot where one of them got a lucky shot in. It didn't hurt that much. Probably another effect of the power she got. Also, the pain was easy to ignore when she came out with only a couple bruises while her opponents came out with numerous more.

But Riven didn't smile. Her face was disinterested with everything that has happened so far.

She didn't know what she was doing.

That man said that she was good enough to do things on her own, but she didn't know what those things were. There was something in her mind telling her that this wasn't the way she was supposed to be doing things. That there was something more she was supposed to be doing other than continually beat the shit out of her fellow farmers. It had been bugging her ever since she started doing things without that man's advice.

Unfortunately, that asshole left before she could try to make him spit out the things she's supposed to be doing. Riven turned her gaze back to the spot where she last saw him leave and clicked her tongue.

Still wasn't back yet.

"Get back up," she growled to the pile of defeated. "Again."

"Just stop already. You've already proven that you're better than us." One of them said.

"Yeah, there's no point to doing this anymore." A girl this time.

The first time they all got beat up, they could hardly believe it happened while they were struggling to stay conscious. She wasn't weak a person even before this all started. She could take on more than half the farm if it was a one-on-one fight. The only ones that managed to beat her were some of the older boys but even then, those were close matches. Now, she could take on the entire farm by herself. It was unbelievable.

Unbelievable to the point where they didn't believe it and thought she got lucky. So, they fought her again and lost again.

Since then, her strength as the strongest on the farm was solidified even though how she got so strong was a mystery. No one looked down on her and they treated her with respect. They thought that was the end of that.

However, the silver haired Noxian didn't stop there.

No, she started beating them up on a regular basis. Every hour was a taste of defeat. Sometimes, it was even shorter than that. Like right now. They would have welcomed the opportunity to win if it didn't come by so often and didn't take only a couple hits to put them down. They just wanted it to stop now. But whenever they tried to make a plea to her to put a stop to the violence-

"Uh-huh." Riven drawled while digging a finger into her ear. "Now get up. Either you stand and fight or you take the punches like a weakling."

It went in one ear and out the other.

After talking amongst themselves, they realized that this all happened because of that new weak and scrawny boy. They have been talking to each other fairly often lately, so they tried working with that in hopes of finally getting a break. They told her how she shouldn't listen to someone so weak. That she was a disgrace by listening to someone that she and the rest of them could beat up easily.

That was a horrible mistake.

Instead of dealing with a woman that was insane, they dealt with a crazy berserker that didn't stop with just a couple punches. There were moments where they felt that death called out to them. Since then, they learned not to bring him up around her lest they suffer a horrible experience again.

They were out of options. Was there no way to escape this hell?

One of them blinked as he spotted something in the woods. After the figure that was approaching got closer, his eyes shot open and pointed a finger towards it, drawing more than a few curious looks. "Look Riven! There he is!"

The berserker's head snapped in the direction. He really was there.

"Foolproof my ass…" He muttered to himself.

Riven stomped her way over to him, crossing her arms when she finally stood in front of him.

"Give me advice," the Noxian simply said. At this point, she didn't care how asking such a thing made her look weak. She just wanted to know what she was supposed to be doing in order to get better and beating people up was not the answer to her problems like she thought it was.

Zike lazily blinked at her. The movement was slow enough that for the brief moment the eyes closed, it felt as if they were going to stay closed. His posture was hunched over, ready to keel over at any moment. She didn't notice his state until she got closer these things until she got closer.

"Give me advice." She didn't care. All she wanted was for him to point her in the right direction.

The summoner blinked again before finally tilting his head upward to look her in the eyes. "…I thought I told you to figure things out yourself and that you can't rely on me all the time?" There was no heat in the question. If anything, he sounded impatient.

Riven's mouth twitched. She remembered. She wished she didn't. "Just give me something to work with." She jabbed a thumb towards the evidence of her recent victories. Zike leaned over and saw the pile of bodies stacked on top of each other. The sight gave way to a crack leading to mocking smile. "I tried beating them up, but it's not working."

"Maybe if you beat them up enough times, it'll work…" He mused. "Wait, what exactly are you trying to do with this?"

Riven opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. What _was_ she after? After a moment, she frustratingly closed it.

"…You don't even know do you?"

"And whose fault is that?" Riven growled out. He's been nothing but vague since they first started talking to each other.

"Oh." He knew it as well. "Well, don't you feel that the power I gave you is enough?"

She shook her head. At first, she did. "There's something missing. It's not enough."

"Not enough power?"

"Not that. Something else."

"And how exactly do you know that something is missing?"

"…"

The way he talked to her. The way he gave her power that allowed her to beat up everyone on this farm single-handedly. The way he was looking at her even now. It was the same look their caretaker gave when she first came to the farm and didn't know what to do. A look the other Noxians here gave her when she couldn't even win a single fight. A look that irritated her. But at the same time, his look was different from the others in a way she couldn't describe.

It irritated her.

"Because of the face you have whenever you look at me. Like I'm nothing much." She finally answered with clenched her fists.

It irritated her…but…

"It's like you're expecting more from me. That there's more that I can do that I don't realize…can't realize." It was the only reason why she could tolerate it for so long without snapping.

The summoner hummed.

"And you value my opinion because…?"

Riven's eye twitched. They were talking too much. The sun had already set. "Just give me advice already!" She snapped.

He lazily waved a hand in the face of her frustration and impatience. "I can do that and _lot_ more," it looked like he was about to burst out laughing when he said the last part, "if you answered the question."

This guy. She reared back a fist, ready to do the things she had done to her fellow farmers before. Only this time, much more thorough.

Zike only raised an eyebrow in response. "If you remember what I said before, then you should also remember what I said I would do if you beat me up. Or more specifically, what I won't do."

The words made her pause. "Beating you senseless can change your mind."

"Or kill me," Zike muttered to himself. He wasn't quiet enough. Hearing them made her flinch but it was small enough that he didn't catch it. "The only we can help each other out is if you put your trust in me. Which means considering me differently compared to those guys over there." He nodded to the pile of bodies that were struggling to pick themselves up. "I am not a tool to use Riven."

"I am a friend. A friend who only wants to help out another friend."

The word puzzled her. Friend? What does that mean? It wasn't someone you beat up given by how he was being such a sissy about it. They did a lot of talking though so did it mean that it was someone she's supposed to talk to? It confused her but she didn't want to ask. If she asked, she would be playing his game…

But this did give her an idea how to turn this around.

"Friend, huh," she mused, trying to sound disinterested in the word as if she already knew what it meant.

He nodded. "Yes. Friend."

She crossed her arms. "Then as a friend you should help me out."

She almost smirked when Zike's eye twitched. "But that's not-"

"I'm not beating you up, am I?" She suddenly interrupted.

"You looked like you were going to before but that's not-"

"And you said that as long as I don't beat you up, you'll help me."

"Those were not my exact words!"

"Which means," she continued, ignoring his outburst, "you're not being a very good friend right now."

Zike palmed his face and groaned into it. When he peered through his fingers to look at her, his eyes widened for a moment only to groan even more into his hand. That was weird. It was as if he was looking at something else. Whatever. She wrapped an arm around his neck, much like the others usually did after a fight.

"So, are you going to help me?"

It took a moment, but he finally dragged his hand down his face to look at her. "…It goes both ways you know."

"I'll help you as long as you help me first and not the other way around." The smirk that was hiding on her face broke out when he sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I'll help you first. Just follow me. We can't do this in front of the others."

While it didn't end in a physical fight, today, she has beat every person on this farm.

o. o. o.

**Riven Bond 2-3**

Zike rolled his eyes at the message as he led the way into the dark woods. He would have been more pleased that he met his goal if it wasn't for the fact that he was extremely tired. He managed to escape the Noxian soldiers, but that wasn't all. During that time, he discovered things. It was the reason why he was so tired but the discoveries more than made up for the trouble he went through. Discoveries that made this his hopeless situation less hopeless than he thought it was. Discoveries that would more than give him the edge he needed to survive.

And he wasn't just referring to the information and stuff that he got from the other farms. He once again looked at the message and his inventory full of weapons and armor.

"Like playing a fiddle."

o. o. o.

_Author's Notes:_

_First, kind of obvious to point out, but I'm back from hiatus. It was fun and because of bugs, also annoying. Worked somewhere where I was outside most of the time and the mosquitoes flying in my ear was annoying. There's a reason for their existence but I'm having trouble finding it off the top of my mind._

_Second, I would like to apologize. _

_I said I would be making 20,000 word chapters, but I also said in my last note that I would be back late August or early September. The 11__th__ of September is somewhat like mid-September. I started writing on the 6__th__. Which meant I was going to be late unless I rushed and made a crappy chapter which I didn't want. I'm already a little over an hour late after posting this chapter but I didn't want to be even more late._

_Yes, I'm that precise. But not so much that I would give lackluster quality because of it. _

_With my laptop and more free time, I want to flesh things out more and not rush things which I am ashamed of doing for the first few chapters. I had my reasons, but those reasons won't make me feel better about it. All I can do is make sure I improve the quality of future chapters to make up for it. _

_I'll have the next chapter out next week or the week after since this was originally supposed to be 20,000 words. I'm just cutting the original chapter length in half. Because of that, I have nothing to say about the story for now. Because that would give away spoilers. _

_I'm going to be dropping bombshells. I said I wanted drama, action and cliffhangers._

_And that is pretty much everything. With that, be sure to comment and review so I can improve as a writer._

_For those who have been waiting since my hiatus and those who have decided to follow this story during it, thank you for your patience. I will strive not to disappoint._


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**Chapter 6**

"Welcome to Summoner's Rift!" Zike said, spreading his arms wide while the blue sky and green forest loomed behind him.

Riven blinked. She looked around at the forest, ruins and sky…for about a few seconds.

"How do I get stronger?" The Noxian demanded with a look of disinterest. No care was given to him even as her words caused his sails to burn to ash, leaving him stranded in the middle of the ocean.

"That's it? No surprise?"

The silver-haired woman shrugged. "It's just a new place. I don't see why I should care."

"And you are not going to question how all of this is possible?"

She glanced around one more time and nodded to herself.

"Magic," she simply said.

"Uh-huh," Zike deadpanned with a raised eyebrow, "and do you know how magic works?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

"…"

He couldn't resist giving her a look of pity. On one hand, having such a simple mindset meant that he didn't have to take time to explain every little detail. On the other hand, it showed that she was not a very curious person which could very well screw her over in the future…oh wait.

A chuckle erupted from him. Unfortunately, it made the once disinterested woman look like was seconds away from attacking him right then and there. Given what he knew of her fate, he couldn't complain if she did decide to follow through with it.

"Anyway," he coughed, pretending that he didn't laugh at her future misfortune, "as for you getting stronger, this 'new place' is special."

Riven looked doubtful. She didn't even look around to check if it was something she missed. "I don't see how."

"Magic," he flatly stated, slapping her simplicity back in her face.

"Just get to the point."

"The point is that if you use this place, you will be able to train faster than anyone else." Rolling his eyes while trying to fight back a yawn at the sight of her widening eyes.

This place was a rip-off of the hyperbolic time-chamber.

They couldn't train for a year in hear while only a day passed outside Summoner's Rift, hence it being rip-off. Half a day passing in here would be an hour outside. However, the time spent here that was based on the number of champions he made a contract with. The more champions he makes a contract with, the more efficient this place would be until it reached its true potential. Not only that, but he and his champions could enter this place as many times as they pleased. With just that, this rip-off trumped the original…

Except that it didn't provide any food that automatically replenishes itself…or beds…

It's called a rip-off for multiple reasons. Now how to explain this all to Riven so she can understand it…

"To explain it a bit more…" Zike began, "it's like beating someone up. Yeah, that's a good example." Nothing wrong with it whatsoever. "While you could beat up ten people outside in the time it takes to eat," and assuming that it takes about an hour to do that, "you can beat up over one hundred in this new place in the same amount of time." The gaping look told him that he got through to her which was enough for him. It was hard to explain complex things to someone who lacked an education. Even though some things were left out in his explanation, it's fine for now as long as she understands the Rift's value.

He waited patiently while it took a few minutes for Riven's awe-stricken face to fade away in order for confusion to make its entrance.

"But what am I supposed to do here to get stronger? Beat someone up?"

"There's no one here but me- no. No," Zike commanded as he raised his hand once he saw the Noxian rear up the first punch, "let me explain. I don't know anything about fighting. That's your job but you don't know anything either." The hand was used again once he saw her mouth open to deny the claim. "While I don't know anything about fighting, that doesn't mean I know nothing about it. I've seen some of the best fighters you could possibly imagine, and I can confidently say that you aren't even a threat in their eyes. Trust me on this. You are like a bug they can easily crush if they wanted to. If you were the fighter you think you are, why are you still working on a farm instead of being a soldier."

Riven glared at him but he did not back down. He wasn't lying about having seen some of the best fighters. It was thanks to media like games and movies which, while not real, were based on real fighters or combat styles…at times. Even if he decided to disregard that knowledge, the fact that he could somewhat tell if a champion was reaching their potential was enough for him to confidently say such things. Add in her in-game character and lore for a more accurate reference on top of that and it made him question if the Riven in front of him and the Riven from the game were the same people. It was both weird and frustrating.

It became less weird and more frustrating when he compared more than just their fighting ability.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Riven fumed, clenching her fists. "If you don't know how to make me stronger and there's no one to beat up here, how am I supposed to get stronger?"

"You're right on there being no one," he said, raising a finger to interject, "but that doesn't mean we are alone. Use this to fight and go fight some monsters in the forest."

A quick click and Riven was almost crushed under the weight of a weapon coming out of nowhere. It was only thanks to constant fighting and doing farm work that she was able to catch the weapon and make sure it didn't hurt her. The silver-haired woman grunted and found that she couldn't lift the weapon past her waist, resigning to instead let it drag on the ground.

"How am I supposed to fight anyone with this?! It's too heavy!" A couple of attempts to lift it off the ground only result in it being lifted by a few inches before resting on the ground with a small thud.

The summoner raised an eyebrow.

"The harder the task, the stronger you get. And didn't you say that you wanted to get stronger?" The only response he received was a grumble. "You'll find raptors in there. Happy hunting!"

Riven glared at him for his tone that sounded a bit happy given her situation. In the end, she realized that it was better to train to get stronger than to waste time with someone she couldn't beat up. She turned away from him with a growl, the sound of the sword grinding against stone following her as she trudged her way towards the forest of the unknown.

"Ah…" Zike said as soon as he lost sight of her form. "I probably should have told her how death works in the place." He blamed it on trying to figure out how this place worked. He could just send a message to her…but given her attitude…

"Meh. She'll figure it out." The summoner shrugged, sluggishly opening the client.

It was when he was preparing to click exit to finally get some sleep that he paused.

He still had to check in on Lux who was still coming to terms with her magic. Fiora, who was probably done killing her father in a duel at this point and going through grief and what a can of worms that situation was. Kha'zix who, last he remembered, indirectly called him weak. And Rek'sai, who tried to kill him before.

And, given what he learned just from Riven and Lux, all of them were most likely lacking in many areas…

Zike pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a groan.

o. o. o.

Light emitted, diving away the shadows that were unfortunate enough to be nearby, mixing with the white light slightly illuminating the room. Then, that light was snuffed out, allowing the shadows to recede only for a moment until the light returned. Light, and no light. A process repeated over and over again with varying degrees of how much light was generated.

Lux focused on the light being generated on the palm of her hands. It disappeared as soon as she closed her fingers before being brought back as soon as they were open. She did the same thing over and over again for the past few days ever since she met with Zike. She momentarily stopped once she heard footsteps, killing her magic completely and looking towards the door with wide eyes. It was only when the footsteps faded away that she finally let out a sigh of relief. She looked at her hands, her heart beating harshly despite the fact that nothing happened.

"…"

It took a few minutes for the process to start over again thanks to curiosity and boredom.

"Stay on guard! No slacking off!"

A scowl formed on the light user's face as she was one again forced to stop what she was doing. She groaned when she heard the halls being much more active.

She couldn't do the same things she did when she was summoned for the first time. It would be too noticeable and a housemaid working within her home could be doing laundry and notice the fact that the ceiling had scorch marks, question all the other housemaids, start rumors, and make it harder to practice her own magic when everyone was suspicious about an intruder or worse, an intruder that practiced magic being in the estate, increasing the guard's alertness. But this is all a possibility. Not like it happened before.

"I don't want another mage somehow slipping past us like before!"

Nope. Never happened.

Maybe she should just ask to be summoned so she could practice more. There was also the question of what she should be doing next to better control her abilities…and explore them. She didn't forget her main goal of controlling her magic so it nothing bad happens. But while having more control was nice, which strangely got better over the past few days for some reason, it was hard to ignore the opportunity to see just what she could do now that she had a way of doing it without being discovered.

The Demacian paused.

When had she thought of things like this? Wasn't she supposed to be afraid of her magic?

But it was hard to put the dangerous thoughts to rest once they started. A flood that couldn't be stopped no matter how strong or how high the walls were. There was a whole world out there that she could explore and something that she didn't understand resting inside of her. It was supposed to be terrifying but…

A dark green message popped up in front of her. It was similar to when she first got a contract and the first time she was summoned.

'_Are you a young mage struggling with your magic and boredom? Well sucks to be you!' _

Lux's eyes twitched. And this was just the opening.

'_But thankfully, I am here to solve your problems. Here in Summoner's Rift, we offer the best way to start an adventure. From unexplored regions to a training plan to help you develop your talent, we have everything! Except food…and beds…and everything else not mentioned…_

_Join today…as in right now!'_

It took her a second to realize that she palmed her face at some point during the message. She was right. He was a bad influence.

Before she could contemplate whether or not to go and risk being around him, another message popped up though it was dark yellow in color.

'_Features of Summoner's Rift. Read Carefully'_

A bit wary, she did as it said. At the very least, it gave more details of what she was heading into if she decides to go.

But as she was reading, it gradually became less of an 'if' and more of a 'when' she was going. And considering the situation at her home…

"…A really bad influence."

o. o. o.

Going to Summoner's Rift was not much different compared to being summoned. The first time Lux was summoned, time stopped completely and the message 'You are being summoned' was the only warning she got before being surrounded by blue lights and ending up in Noxus. This time, she had the option of choosing whether to go or not. Given the information she just read, it was something she was glad about even if time worked differently in Summoner's Rift.

The blue lights around her faded and she was left with a scene that she only imagined.

A blue sky with little clouds…and were those dragons?! Ruins that meant it was untouched by civilization for a long time. A forest with no path which implied that it housed many unknown creatures! And best of all, it meant that she could use her abilities more than just to light up her room while exploring at the same time!

She squealed, jumping up and down like she was given a valuable gift. She looked left and right, wanting to take in more of the environment…

And froze once she realized that Zike was standing right next to her, giving her that same mocking smirk.

"…Uh…" The light user began, "This place is great?"

"Hmmm," he said, his smirk widening as he leaned in towards her, "just great huh?"

Dang it.

"Anyway," the Demacian coughed, "you were right about a copy of me taking my place. When I was summoned, nothing happened. At least, that was what I thought until I returned and had memories of what the other me did while I was gone." It was extremely weird when she ended up with memories of things she didn't even do. It got even weirder when she couldn't find herself doing anything different if she wasn't summoned.

Her summoner leaned back but he didn't drop his smirk. "Well that's good. Now, let me explain how this place wor-"

"Actually," she interjected, "I already know how this place works. I got a message explaining everything."

Zike looked at her blankly while she fidgeted under the intense stare and then clicked his tongue, looking off to the side with a scowl.

"The only way I found about all of this stuff is because of a piece of paper one of my minions gave me. I don't even know how it got it or even knows these things." He mumbled.

"What?"

"I said follow me." Zike said with cheerfulness. She was sure that there were more words than that. Even so, Lux hesitantly followed behind him as he walked down the steps of the platform they were on.

"So, what are we going to do?"

At first, he didn't say anything. Her summoner was too busy looking back and forth between where they were at and where they were walking. Is he measuring something?

"Okay, stop. This is a good distance. Just stand here for now," he ordered, answering her unasked question. "I'll answer everything once everyone else gets here."

"Everyone…else?" The light user squeaked.

"Everyone I've made a contract with so far, yes." he replied, leaving her standing where she was as he opened the same green message things while he walked back to the platform.

Lux was left with the view of an unexplored and unknown forest in front of her. It was interesting for the first few seconds but then lost its glamor as soon as she realized she couldn't explore it just yet.

She shot a quick glance behind her, finding Zike talking with another woman. The woman had dark, black hair with a pink highlight. Her clothes also indicated that she was from some noble family. Was the woman like her, a person with magic forced to hide? What Lux also noted that he was talking to her for a longer time compared to her.

The Demacian was forced to snap her head forward once she saw Zike point to where she was. It didn't take long for her to pick up the sound of footsteps.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it…for now. Just remember that I'll always lend an ear," he was saying.

"Thank you for the offer and I appreciate your sympathy, but I'm alright. There is nothing for you to be concerned about," the woman replied with a unique accent. Definitely a noble.

"Usually when people say that, it means the complete opposite, but I won't push anymore." Zike finally appeared in the edge of the light user's vision, pointing to a spot that was to her right. "Just stand next to her. There are a few more I have to invite. I'll leave you Demacians to it to make small talk."

Lux choked. Another Demacian? So, she was just like her! After a few seconds, the woman stood next to her, giving a quick nod to him before finally drawing her eyes toward the light user.

"And you are?" She asked with that same accent.

"Luxanna Crownsguard but people call me Lux! Nice to meet you!" She blurted out, mentally kicking herself for how stupid she sounded. She kicked herself even harder when the woman frowned, no doubt thanks to her embarrassing introduction.

"Crownsguard…" She muttered, shooting a quick glance to where Zike went before her gaze rested back on the light user, eyes much narrower compared to before. And colder, making Lux squirm under the gaze. "Tell me Luxanna… what do you know about the Laurent family?"

"Uh…" Was this a test or something? "They are a family that…uh…makes swords?"

The dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "A family that makes swords…"

"I never paid that much attention to class," Lux said sheepishly, avoiding her piercing eyes. She mostly focused on things outside of Demacia rather than inside. "And you are?"

The woman kept up her terrifying look for a moment longer before finally shaking her head and sighing. She muttered some words and fully faced her, placing her arms behind her back. "I am Fiora Laurent."

"Oh, Fiora Laurent, that's a nice name…" Lux said with a smile. She blinked once she replayed the last few seconds in her head. "Wait what?"

"I have also recently been declared the new head of House Laurent."

"…Eh?" Was her stupid reply.

"And we do not make swords," Fiora stated, placing her hand on the sword at her side. "We duel with them."

The light user kept up her smile, even widening it, hoping that it drew her complete attention so that she didn't give her previous, insulting, and ignorant mistakes much thought.

"That's nice!" Lux squeaked.

She was too busy screaming inside of her head to notice the small twitch of the duelist's mouth.

Fiora opened her mouth to respond and Lux was preparing for her to the words 'You shamed my family. I duel you' right then and there. But she did something worse. The Duelist tensed up and immediately drew her sword, eyes wide and posture ready to attack at even the slightest moment. The light user would have found it majestic if she wasn't so terrified.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm…sorry…?"

She looked at Fiora and finally noticed that the sword wasn't pointed at her. Even her body was faced away from her and pointed in the direction where Zike was. It was tense, extremely tense and easy for her to tell despite never fighting a single battle in her life. Not only that, but her eyes were wide, not paying any attention to the light user but whatever was happening back where they came from.

"What is i-!"

Then she finally noticed it.

The feeling that something wasn't right. Something that shouldn't exist was in the same place as them and threatened everything and everyone one around it. She clutched her chest, trying to calm down her breathing which quickly increased but found herself having trouble standing instead. Even so, her head turned towards the source. A natural reaction given that she was curious and couldn't do much else.

She wished she hadn't. The sight alone brought her to her knees.

The ground trembled as it crawled towards them, making inhuman clicking sounds all the while. And it was huge. She wasn't even as tall as one of its arms or even wide as them. What made it even worse that the monster of purple and blue was moving _towards _her_._ To that _thing_, she was something that couldn't exist in the same place as it much like anyone and anything else. She noticed that during her panic, Fiora stood in front of her, as if to protect her, and it only made her finally feel the hopelessness in the situation when she too was trembling, her blade noticeably wavering.

They both knew it. They were going to die.

"Okay, just keep following my footsteps. Wait, how can you even understand me or even hear?"

The only reason they didn't completely break down was because Zike was somehow _talking to that thing and he wasn't being eaten or mauled to death._

The beast made a clicking sound. It took Lux a moment to realize it came from its mouth. And by the Gods, its mouth.

"You just did? Well, how convenient," Zike said, looking curious and interested and not terrified by the beast he was guiding. He finally ended up standing in front of the two terrified women. "Okay and stop here." It stopped, following his commands with little response other than the occasional clicking sound it made. "Just wait here for now. And no attacking anything that moves."

Then he walked past it and even patted its arms as he left it alone with them. While doing so, he finally noticed both her and Fiora or more specifically, finally noticed their terror and the way their eyes were focused on the beast. "Don't worry. You are safe as long as you are on the grounds of these ruins." He paused for a moment. "I think. But just in case, just don't move until I get back. I have to send one more invite."

He walked away, mumbling about how a beast could even accept an invite. Lux would have screamed for him to get back here and get rid of the beast if she was sure that it wouldn't attack her for making herself known.

The next few moments were just them standing completely still while the beast just stood there, its body only moving when it somehow breathed. Occasionally, it would turn its head and the two Demacians tried to make themselves smaller during the times it was directed towards them. Seeing that it wasn't going to attack and destroy them, Lux managed to get some of her breathing under control yet still kept her eyes on the beast.

Then she tried to stand. It was just a single movement of her foot being placed on the ground instead of her knee. When she finished, she recalled Zike's words and paled.

The beast snapped its head towards her, and the intense feelings of fear and terror was magnified now that it was focused solely on the light user. Thankfully, it did not make any move towards her to end her life but the clicking sounds became more frequent. Excited even.

Lux felt like crying right then and there. It was only thanks to the sound of footsteps that drew the beast's attention that she did not do so. Noticing that it once again came from the place they first came from, she snapped her head towards it, ready to tell Zike that she didn't want to stay here as long as this…_thing,_ was here.

But she couldn't say anything. She ended up passing out due to the appearance _other beast_ behind him following close behind.

o. o. o.

Zike tilted his head as he looked at the image before him. Four champions in a line. A line which included a mage who fainted, a duelist who was frozen with her sword drawn, and two void beasts who were giving each other strange looks.

But it was still a line. A horribly dysfunctional line, but still a line which was already his greatest achievement so far. He knew Lux would accept but he didn't expect the other three to come as well given his last meetings with them weren't on the best of circumstances. Especially Fiora. Though she looked like she was in a better state compared to before, her feelings told him a different story.

A story that would have to wait given that Kha'zix just brandished its claws while Rek'sai was about to crush him like the bug he was for some reason.

"And that's enough for now." Zike sighed as he begun to walk down the line. "Kha'zix and Rek'sai, stop trying to fight each other." He almost tripped on his feet when instead of ignoring his command and try to kill him, they froze and slowly lowered their appendages. They still gave each other threatening looks. After flicking Fiora in the forehead, causing her to blink as she left her temporary daze, he lowered his head towards the ears of the unconscious Lux.

"Hey Lux, your aunt his here."

Almost instantly, the light user was on her feet with her eyes snapped open, looking around for said family member.

"Now that you are all no longer distracted," Zike began, standing in front of them once more, "welcome to Summoner's Rift. From what I learned, you all already know how this place works right?" Two hesitant nods, a clicking sound, and a growl was their responses. "Good, then that saves me the trouble of explaining this place."

The client was self-adapting and tailored to what he did at times. Given what Lux had said about how she knew of this place even when he didn't explain to her, all he had to do was explain things worse and the client would make sure that all other champions got the same explanation one way or another. There was also the possibility that it would include such information in future contracts which would make convincing champions much easier.

He crossed his arms, grinning as he continued to explain. "As I stated to some of you before, my goal is to make you all stronger to make sure you can deal with any problems coming your way. Whether that be through in the physical, magical, or mental sense." Zike grin, crossing his arms with a grin. "In order for this to work though, I will have to ask that you try and play nice with whoever I make a contract with. Whether it be an ally from your city-state, an enemy from an opposing region, or creatures that would like to do nothing more than destroy anything that moves."

The two void creatures didn't look too interested in the conversation. But then again, they weren't his focus. His focus was on Fiora, who momentarily ignored giving wary looks to the creatures next to her in favor of sending him a gaze as sharp as a sword, and Lux, who looked conflicted.

But he did not falter. If anything, his grin only widened, which made the reactions worse. "I take it you both have disagreements?"

Fiora stepped forward, her mouth open and her face resolute, ready to snap at him. But then she stopped and paused. It was such a change that he raised an eyebrow. Then she stepped back and took a breath.

"Why?" She simply asked. The question only received a tilted head in response, so she tried again. "You are intending to give assistance to whoever you come across no matter the consequences. Even if it will cost lives in the process. So why?"

It was a question that was also on Lux's mind given the way she looked at him, hoping he would provide something different.

Zike hummed, the grin on his face slowly fading. "Lives will be lost no matter who I make a contract with. A soldier will take lives on the battlefield to protect his home while a monster will feast on those it hunts to ensure its own survival. You will not let those who shame your family walk away and bring further ruin and I doubt Lux will stand by if forced in a situation where her inaction will cost the lives of innocent people, both situations possibly requiring the taking of a life."

The duelist clenched her fists and the light user, initially attempting to argue against his words, looked away after a moment of thought.

Zike shrugged, "But if you want a less morbid and satisfying answer that will put your conscious to rest, there is one reason. Let me ask you both a question, who do you think I make contracts with?"

"With people who needs help?" Lux offered, with a small smile.

The summoner shook his head. "I'm not that amazing. I can't just go to everyone that needs help and give them power. And who do I even help if I do that? If two people are fighting each other, who do I give the power to if I only met them once and have no idea what they are going to do with that power afterwards while I go help someone else?"

The chaos that would ensue if he could give power to people other than champions. They would use it to gain even more power and control the people around them. Then those same people would fight against each other once toes were being stepped on. Eventually, the only things that would be left would be ruins and people who would like nothing more than to see the one who brought such destruction suffer the worst possible fate imaginable, even if it once began with good intentions.

He snorted. "Doing something like that would paint me as some evil God or something which would be annoying."

"But how would that…" Lux trailed off, pondering such a scenario. He left her to it and turned his gaze towards Fiora.

"Individuals with talent." She stated.

"Close, but no." He noted that she didn't look put off at being wrong. "While it is true that some of the people I have made contracts with so far have talent, look at Lux."

The light user raised her head. "Huh?"

"She never practiced her magic and was even afraid of using it for most of her life. The best she can do with it right now is use it to burn stuff or get rid of her fear of the dark," he said, ignoring the light user's muttering of how she didn't have such a fear, "so again, what is the reason I have made a contract with you all?"

"**Potential."**

The three of them blinked, looking at Kha'zix who they assumed was seemingly too busy pondering the best way to take down his fellow creature of the void. **"Potential to be strong. Potential to evolve into something great." **It momentarily turned its head away from Rek'sai to stare at the two women, causing them to tense up. **"Potential to be something worth devouring."**

They paled even as the creature returned to looking at the other voidling. They shuddered when instead of refuting the claims, Zike nodded.

"Yes, even to the last one even if it is a little disturbing. All of you have the potential to be something more than what you already are, and I can make a contract if I happen to know what that potential entails. Sort of like a detailed book on what you are capable of. While some or others may know of it too, what I can do is help you reach it faster…or even surpass it." Every single one of them looked at him thanks to that last statement which caused his grin to return.

The potential thing sounded way much better than an explanation of how they all come from a game and that he was making contracts based on that game. 'You are all characters in a game and I am helping you reach the ability level of your character in that game. I also know all about your past and future along with your thoughts, feelings, and goals but don't worry about that. It's cool. You can trust me even though we only met once or twice and if you trust me more, I will have more control over you. No worries.'

Yeah, that would've went well. At the very least, he wasn't lying with this explanation.

"This leads to the reason I am making contracts with people, creatures, or things if I know their even if they may use it for less than acceptable reasons." At this he leaned in and smirked. "Tell me, what would happen if I didn't make a contract with you all?"

Only Rek'sai was unaffected by whether or not I made a contract with her or not. The others however, given their reactions, were well aware of what sort of fate would meet them if I had not made a contract with them.

"And what if I told you that I am planning to make contracts with people who have the potential to be kings and queens? Villains who caused the rise of heroes and heroes who will save numerous lives. Leaders of organizations who makes a nation stable. Powerful beings or even monsters, while no doubt ending lives, innocent or not, inadvertently protects the world from something worse."

With each possibility, the two Demacian's eyes widened. Kha'zix just looked excited at the possibility of such great prey that will help him evolve.

"And what would happen if they were in the same state you all were in before I made the contract? What if they failed to reach the potential they were born for?" He leaned back, focusing his eyes on Fiora who was still trying to imagine the scenarios he described before finally grimacing. "While it is true that making contracts will no doubt cost lives, countless lives or even entire nations will be lost if I don't. Which is why I am asking you all to work together with the ones I have making contracts with. Even if you don't like it. But if it is still unacceptable to anyone or if you feel like you would be betraying your nation by continuing to work with me, just say the word and I will terminate your contract right now."

"Betrayal?" Lux choked.

The summoner raised an eyebrow. "I just said that I will make contracts with heroes and villains. I didn't say they were heroes and villains of _your_ nation. While I will try to make sure no one gets drunk with power and abuse it, they still have their own homes to protect. And you are helping me with that which would probably deem you a traitor."

He paused for a moment even as the color drained from the blonde. "But if you look at it from another angle, you are helping your nation by helping me." The summoner tried to not show any amusement even as Lux hung off every word he said. "If you work together with people from different regions, they may be less inclined to take lives. They may even be more inclined to take diplomatic approaches. And considering that the fact that some of the people I am planning to make contracts with are leaders, peace treaties or agreements that would not have been possible before could be made which would help a lot. Whether they be people, nations, or the world itself."

"But those are just a bonus for me," Zike said, lazily waving his hand. "The main reason I am trying to have you all work together is that you all will progress a lot more if you all work together. Whether that be through teaching or fighting each other." Two individuals in particular perked up at the fighting part. "The individuals I am making contracts with are going to be the best of the best and the result of all of them working together will produce unimaginable results."

"Plus, you all get to explore different parts of the world so there's that too," Zike yawned. "So, if you don't want to be a part of this, just speak up and I will terminate your contract."

But no one did. Not that they could. It was an offer that was almost impossible to refuse. The potential benefits of such an opportunity far outweigh the potential costs. Well, the potential costs that he explained to them. There were still things they didn't know about like bond scores and how he would have more control the more they trust him.

…And there was still another scenario that would make the 'almost impossible' part of the offer 'very possible'. A scenario he had yet to confirm seeing as he was still stuck on a stupid farm.

Zike shook his head. One step at a time. "Well, if there are no objections, let's do something I have been planning on now that I have made quite a few contracts to prove how fruitful this contract can be."

He smiled. Yet for some reason, that made all the champions before him shudder.

"Ever heard of 'team building exercises'?"

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Hello I'm back and-_

_*Sweats nervously as it has been more than half a year since a post was last made and much longer than previously mentioned hiatus*_

_*Sweats even more when this chapter is not 20,000 words like mentioned in the last author's note*_

_*Sweats erratically when following deadlines and promises have been mentioned in the last author's note*_

_*Whole body is leaking sweat when not causing disappointment has been mentioned in the last author's note*_

_Uh…life happens? And school?_

_...I'm sorry. _

_Planning and writing to flesh out 148 champions (And counting) into a single cohesive story is turning out to be harder than expected. _

_Who knew? _

_Getting back on track, I will for sure end the introduction phase in the next two chapters. While the first one of the two will be a little short (Not as short as this chapter, that's for sure), the second one I will start fulfilling the promise of 20,000 words. _

_That's all I have to say despite my significantly longer second hiatus and I will not take another few months to update this time. No promises this time. It will be done when it's done. I want to say more but at this point, I'm just goin to shut up and write already. I'm way behind schedule. _

_Review or comment on what you like or didn't like so that I can become a better writer. _


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**Chapter 7**

The exercise was simple. It was called protect the king. All they had to do was protect him while he went on a walk through the forest. See? Simple.

"Well, that was a nice beginning to a walk." Zike chirped with a grin on his face. "So how was the first battle?"

There was no hint that grass and flowers ever existed in the clearing he was in. Trees were either knocked down or on fire. Blood and corpses were everywhere. He didn't even want to get started on the smell that was starting to fester. Now that he was looking closer, he was even seeing some body parts of the enemies the champions faced. The beauty of the forest no longer existed in the clearing he was in. Now, it was nothing but a battlefield where battles for life and death would occur. It would repair itself eventually. Still, it was quite a sight.

Lux was sitting against with her knees pressed against her chest, mumbling to herself while she rocked back and forth. Riven was unresponsive and buried underneath the corpses of her enemies. Fiora wasn't much better given that she was face down on the ground with her butt sticking in the air and yes, he took a picture of it. Multiple pictures at different angles in fact and he put them all in a folder.

It was named champion blackmail material.

The only ones standing, if you could call it that, were Kha'Zix and Rek'Sai. The former was currently swaying back and forth while sitting on top of a branch while the latter was struggling to keep itself up using her massive forearms. Compared to the others, they were the ones who had the most wounds. Rek'Sai had deep gashes and scratches littered all over her body. Kha'Zix was missing an eye and his arm was limp.

He should also tell him that the branch he was on was about to-

"**Gah!" **

Ah. Too late.

"Oh, come on now. You all are being overdramatic."

"You fucker!" The Noxian of the group shouted with a muffled voice due to her current predicament. "You ran into those stupid chickens like a dumbass!"

The 'chickens' she was referring to were raptors that came from the game. Unlike Demacian raptors which were much larger and possessed powerful wings, they were wingless but colorful creatures that didn't look that bad until you realized that their beaks and talons were extremely sharp. They weren't much of a threat unless you were dealing with them in large numbers. In the game, there were five of them plus one larger and stronger one which he assumed to be their mother. Here however, they weren't restricted to a small number and overwhelmed the champions with their numerous numbers.

They had yet to come across the mother. He had a feeling that she wouldn't be happy that they just killed a lot of her children. To be fair, they started it when they kept killing him in the game when he first started to get into the role of jungler. Even after he got more experience with the role, they took off chunks of his health which forced him to return when he didn't want to.

Fucking little bastards.

"They were beautiful creatures." The summoner looked to the sky, reminiscing on the sight of such elegant wingless birds. Their mangled corpses surrounding him went ignored. "I was overcome by the urge to pet them."

"Pet them?! You kicked them!"

A ghost-enhanced kick which angered its friends who attacked the champions severely. The fact that this was animal cruelty wasn't considered and never will be.

"So majestic," Zike sighed, beginning to cast heal on the Kha'Zix and Rek'Sai, watching as the spell restored the smaller void creature's lost eye. The spell was supposed to heal himself and one champion but since he wasn't harmed, it healed two champions instead. Once the two void champions were healed enough so they weren't bleeding on the ground, he looked towards the still mumbling Lux. "Hey Riven, go pick up Fiora and bring her to me."

The Noxian scowled. She had yet to be healed and it was obvious to see that she was still dealing with an annoying amount of pain. But she could still move which was all that mattered to him. "Why do I have to do th-"

Before she could even finish, Zike snapped his head towards a random direction. All the champions could practically hear the moment it happened, their bodies tensing up. Riven especially. "I mean, yeah, I'll go pick up the bitch using the tooth-"

"Is that a bird I see?!"

"I meant Fiora!" Riven reiterated, recalling the moment when he got urge to kick a wingless bird. The urge came when she decided to not call Fiora by her name and continued to insult the duelist as an act of defiance despite him asking nicely. Strange. "I'll pick up Fiora!"

"Huh," Zike said as he watched Riven do what he had asked, "I must be seeing things. Kha'Zix and Rek'Sai, did you see anything?" The summoner turned his head to look at the two void champions who quickly stopped glaring each other to shake their heads at him. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

With that out of the way, he made his way toward the light user who finally stopped mumbling thanks to the false alarm. She had scrapes and scratches at most but overall, she was better off than everyone else. Physically. He did not help with the mental aspect when he kept running towards her while being chased by raptors. "You didn't answer my question Lux. How was your first battle?"

"…I almost died." She answered, still in a daze. Even now she was trembling from experience nearly getting her throat torn out by a raptor that got too close.

"Me too. Small world huh?" Zike said, closing his eyes with a grin even as Lux looked at him in shock at his words. "Difference is that if you die in here, you get a headache. I die, I die for good."

He was putting himself in danger by leading the exploration into the forest. Unlike the champions who could die and only face a headache that got worse the more times they met their end, his death would be permanent. Which means nothing had changed so he didn't give it much thought. The only thing to be worried about was the fact that if he died, his contracts with champions would be destroyed and they would lose all the things they had received from him. There was also the possibility they would be trapped in Summoner's Rift if they were in it when he died.

Of course, he told the champions this after he kicked a raptor which made all of the wingless birds charge with the intent of ripping him apart. They were very quick to rush to his rescue. He didn't help them by continually putting himself in danger as the battle raged on but good to see they were attempting to avoid mutual destruction.

A complicated expression began to settle on the Demacian's face. "You make it sound like it doesn't matter." Like she doesn't matter.

"If it didn't, I wouldn't be talking to you right now." He offered a hand to her which she took after a moment of hesitation. The aftermath of the battle still affected her given that she almost fell down but he held her up on her feet until the cooldown for the heal spell was up. "It's something you will get used to eventually."

Her grimace told him what she thought about that. "And all of this is supposed to help us?"

"You'll understand it the more you do it." There was the option to make things easier for her by explaining everything but that was a lot of work he didn't feel like doing. Plus, he couldn't just give her answers all the time otherwise she would always run to him for it.

Lux sighed knowing that was all she was going to get from him. "But can you at least take this more seriously?"

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"You grin almost all the time." Mockingly she might add.

"I do," he agreed. Heal was finally casted which allowed her to stand on her feet with little help. It allowed him to step back and let Lux see the same mocking grin on his face that she was used to. "But that doesn't mean I don't take things seriously. Would you prefer that I be stone-cold and frown all the time?"

The light-user tilted her head. "No?"

"Me neither. It doesn't exactly say friendly to me." Making contracts and maintaining them are like selling products and keeping loyal customers. You would prefer someone who smiles and gives off a friendly atmosphere than someone who frowns and gives the opposite. Of course, you would also prefer someone who smiles over someone who grins since the latter would most likely annoy and piss off the customer, but it was either frown or grin. Pick one. "But there's more to it than that."

"Let me guess," she deadpanned. "I have to find out for myself?"

"Now you're getting it!" Even as she palmed her face on account of increasingly annoying her, he could see the small smile that was beginning to form on her face. He was about to say something else but was interrupted when he heard a thud right behind him.

"Don't drop me you brute!" Fiora snapped.

"I brought Dora," Riven announced.

"It's Fiora!"

"That's what I said!"

As the two continued to bicker with one another, Zike's grin slowly fell off face until it was completely blank. The light-user watched it all happen and paled, the trauma from the last time this sort of thing happened still present in her mind. It didn't help that Kha'Zix and Rek'Sai chose that exact moment to begin their battle with each other.

"Everyone! Stop it!" Lux shouted.

All the champions paused in their bickering and fighting to stare at her. It was the first time they heard her raise her voice at them. "Why?" Riven asked.

"If you fight, he'll…oh no."

From a distance away, they heard the screech of a bird.

"Hello mother raptor. Did you know your children are little shits?"

All of their faces shifted to horror.

o. o. o.

Phase one was working nicely. Now for phase two.

"There's a reason I wanted you here early before everyone else. Congratulations, you won the game."

"…Ha?"

By some miracle, Lux managed to look cute despite the stupid face she was making. "Yesterday's exercise. It was a game. You won."

"That was a game?!"

"A game hidden within an exercise yes," he nodded. "And you won. The goal was to protect the king. Can't really do that if you're fighting each other and not paying attention to him." Everyone tried to make sure he wasn't harmed during a fight, but she was the only one that noticed why he even started a fight.

Didn't try to stop him though so she barely won.

"B-but I barely even did anything."

"I noticed," he deadpanned, recalling the times when she stood still trying to cast her magic and paid the price for it. It was only thanks to his healing spell that none of them died during the exercise and if even one of them did, he would have ghosted away faster than any of them could realize what had happened. Cowardly? Yes. But to be fair, this stupid game didn't allow him to respawn. "Which is the reward is for. What we are going to be doing is personal training where we find ways to help you improve."

Instantly, she was on guard. After the things he had done, she would be a fool not to be. "Should I be worried?"

"First of all, I should be insulted that you are assuming the worst of me."

"But you're not." Lux narrowed her eyes. "You would take it as a compliment."

"Second of all," choosing to ignore her didn't give her any reassurance, "Do you want to learn new ways to use your magic or not?"

"Like what?"

There was still suspicion in her voice that caused the summoner to shake his head. "And here I was about to help you find ways to blind your enemies, protect your teammates, and turn invisible," he sighed.

"Wait what?" The light-user's eyes practically sparkled. "Invisible! I can turn invisible?!" There were so many things she could do with such a power!

"You can. We see the things we do because of light being captured in our eyes. Since you control light, it's not far-fetched to say that you can turn yourself invisible." While getting to the level of their game-like counterparts was one goal, discovering new ways for their abilities to be used was another. It would have been stupid, restrictive, and wasteful not to. "But since you don't trust me-"

When he began to walk away, she dived for his legs to make sure he didn't escape. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I trust you! I want to turn invisible so I can finally steal my mother's cookies and blame it on someone else!"

As Zike watched the girl continued to beg with tears in her eyes, he started rubbing his hands together with a sinister smirk.

All according to plan.

o. o. o.

"What…the fuck?"

All the champions had thoughts similar to Riven's words as they watched Lux laugh like she was a young kid again playing with a new toy. Raptors tried to get close to the young girl, but small balls of light exploded in front of their eyes before they could try to tear her apart. It made it much easier for the magic user to shoot small but powerful bursts of her magic to swiftly take them out.

Waves of those birds? Please. They were nothing but child's play for her.

In just a few minutes, the battle ended with Lux wiping away sweat while standing in the middle of a massacre. The summoner took this time to open his menu and check her status. Didn't take a single hit. Went a little trigger happy with the magic but only half of her mana was drained. It was a significant improvement compared to the last time. No longer was she an exhausted mumbling wreck.

Was his advice really that helpful?

"How!" Riven shouted, "How did you get this strong!"

Lux turned her head towards the audience and blinked. It was as if she forgot that she was not alone. Then she looked at Riven…

And gave the smuggest smile they had ever seen on the girl.

"It's because I won, and you all lost." All the champions bristled when she mockingly flicked her hair after stating such bold words. "I was the only one to figure out the true purpose of this whole thing."

Zike didn't bother to correct her that no, she didn't find it. Protecting him was just one aspect it but he was content on just letting this play out for now.

"**Which is?" **Kha'Zix questioned. It was the first time the void champion spoke to anyone other than Zike. It was a shame that it was during a time when Lux was not herself.

"As if I would tell you," Lux scoffed. She didn't manage to figure out how invisibility worked yet but as long as she continued to win this game, she'll eventually discover the method thanks to her summoner's personal training. If she told them how to win, the road would be a lot longer and that was unacceptable.

"The path to invisibility will be mine. Heh, heh…HAHAHA!"

The moment she started laughing manically was the moment her summoner decided to end her good cheer. "No Lux, you lost."

"HAHA…" She paused. "What?"

Zike jabbed a thumb in Fiora's direction who was still staring at her fellow Demacian like she was a deranged animal. "Fiora won this time. You were too focused on testing out your own magic."

Lux blinked a couple of times then did a complete one eighty by giving him a kind smile. Would have worked better if she wasn't surrounded by raptor corpses. "Are you safe?" She asked, trying to salvage the situation.

"Yes, I am. You still lost though. Better luck next time," Zike said as he moved the pictures he had taken of her crazed madness into the blackmail folder.

Lux cried out in sorrow.

But invisibility!

o. o. o.

"You know, you're taking this rather well." The duelist in front of him opened a single questioning eye. It was her turn for personal training this time and like before, he summoned her before the usual team exercise. "With everything that is going I mean."

"It's a distraction," Fiora replied. A few seconds was taken to shift her body to remove the tenseness caused by the comment. That and she was still trying to get used to sitting in a crossed legged position. "But I won't say that it is not a welcome one."

"A distraction and not a break?"

The eye looking at him closed in exchange for a tired sigh. "That is what I meant. I apologize if I sounded rude and ungrateful but…"

"Everyone in Demacia are irritating you?"

"Yes."

Not even a moment of hesitation. "Am I irritating you?"

"…I tolerate you."

Zike hummed while he sat in front of her but otherwise let the Demacian go back into meditation. The goal of this was for her to access the mana within her body because the status screen showed none of it was used during combat. From how Lux described using her magic, it was like an on and off switch. All they had to do was find the switch and from there they could explore how the magic can be used. A malfunctioning switch was the reason the light-user had so much trouble with her magic before the contract. It could have been fixed were she not so afraid of it before.

Which reminded him, "I'm surprised you didn't try to report Lux for being a mage."

"Is that what you expected of me? To betray the trust given to me?"

"I like to have low expectations," he said, neither confirming nor denying her accusation. Fiora frowned but didn't open her eyes. "That way I can be prepared and ready should the worst comes to past."

"And I assume you have low expectations for me?"

"Only for what you will do. Not for what you can become which is why I'm surprised that you're being so polite and reserved right now. You weren't like this around Riven."

"She wasn't the one who helped my family avoid exile," she scoffed. "Being polite to a peasant like that is a tall order."

"You do realize I'm a peasant too, right?" Her wince only elicited a roll of eyes from him. "And that is what I'm talking about. You're like a bootlicker trying to stay on my good side. There are only two ways for someone to get off it." He lifted two fingers for emphasis when the duelist opened her eyes. "Betrayal and abusing the power I gave you but they're both judged on a case by case. Duties and loyalties complicate things."

Fiora opened her mouth to say something but closed it a moment later with a shake of her head. "I'll do my best."

"And I know the perfect way to help with that!" A clap of the hands accompanied the cheerful tone he was making. "Let's have a duel with words. We insult each other and if the other gets mad, they lose."

A duel? Well then, "hopefully you will prove to be a challenge," she snorted.

"…"

Zike's mouth twitched.

o. o. o.

"Get up. That was just a light tap."

Ammdar responded to his sister's goading with a groan thanks to the new bruise he received from her. A light tap? Were they really using dull blades? It felt as if a warrior got the best of him and scored a blow using a hammer. Despite the pain, he got up and leveled his blade at the new head of House Laurent, his eyes looking into hers that possessed a fire within them. That was enough to push him forward even if the action earned him countless bruises.

Because days before, those eyes were filled with tears.

"Has something happened recently my lady?" The two circled each other within the Laurent family's courtyard, looking for an opportunity to take advantage of in each other's stance. While he wasn't the most skilled with the blade compared to his other siblings, that didn't mean he couldn't make them work for the victory. Addressing her officially as he had done is one example. It was cruel reminder of recent events, but such cruelty was necessary to prepare her for the trials her position would bring.

Yet the opening he was expecting did not come. The reward he received was raised eyebrow for his attempt. "You only need to address me like that when in the presence of people outside our family brother."

"Of course, my lady." Still no opening. Curses. "But you seem much more determined than usual. More determined than after you became head."

"I lost a duel."

"What?!"

Fiora took advantage of the opening his surprise gave to score a hit to his other hip. "You got distracted."

"I apologize my lady." This time the pain wasn't unexpected, so he was able to keep himself on his feet. However, it was still painful. "It's just surprising that someone of your skill would lose to someone in a duel my lady." She rolled her eyes at his foolish attempts to rile her. Ha! An opening!

The moment he tried to take advantage of it was the moment she scored a hit to his head and made him trip on his own feet. "I thought you said it would not happen again?" she mocked.

"I apologize again my lady," Ammdar said, rubbing the newly acquired bruise to his head. "But if you lost to someone in a duel, why aren't you challenging them again?" Back before the complicated situation with their family started, mistakes made once were never made again. He should know since he helped refine her technique and watched over her as she developed.

"…"

"…You already challenged them again." It took a while for him to find the answer because he couldn't believe it. "And still lost. But that still doesn't…wait. How many times did you lose?" he asked instead.

Fiora's eye twitched. He would have been impressed with such self-control if her hand wasn't holding the handle to her blade so tightly. This was concerning. Someone managed to defeat the best duelist of their household and…

"Wow, you are being adorable," he blinked. "Sulking like this after failing to win." It was refreshing to see after recent events.

"Oh yes. I am sulking." Uh oh. He probably shouldn't have said that out loud. "And I would like to 'talk' about it with my loveable brother…who also goes behind my back spreading rumors."

Ammdar choked. Spreading rumors?! "I deny that statement!"

"You deny ever spreading rumors about me?"

"…"

His silence was damning. To be fair, his brothers did the same thing to him. "My lady, I would like to return to my room as I am feeling ill at the moment."

"Oh, come now." The new head of House Laurent walked over to where they stored their much sharper training blades and tested each of their edges with a finger. "You look healthy to me." A satisfactory blade was found and she admired it closely all while talking in that sweet, innocent tone. "Healthy enough to continue using such dull blades. We aren't children anymore and know how to keep ourselves from harming the other…too much."

The moment her blade gleamed was the moment Ammdar realized there was no escape.

o. o. o.

"…"

"…"

It was less like a staring contest and more like a game of who would look away first between Zike and the two void champions since Rek'Sai didn't have eyes. There was no victor as of yet.

"I would have done this sooner if you two hadn't fought all the time," the summoner finally said.

Lux and Fiora were first because they figured out some of what he was doing during the exercise. But when that was put aside and their ability to protect him was judged, these two did it better than anyone else. While the others fumbled around and struggled to take down even a single raptor, they tore through enemies like hot butter until the raptors decided to focus on them and the numbers became too much.

They were his strongest champions…and they had the highest bond level with him.

"…"

Not that they gave any hint as to what the latter meant. They were silent and powerful protectors when he was around and became bitter enemies with each other when he wasn't. In the end, all that mattered was that they made sure he didn't die to the things he couldn't defend against. As long as they did that and made sure their fights didn't end in one of their deaths, he would have to cave into the fact that there would be tension between champions no matter what. It was impossible to completely eliminate it but at the very least, he wanted to see what was possible.

"Kha'Zix, I want you to be unseen to everyone whether they are allies or not. Fear is your greatest weapon and the better you hone it, the easier it will be to take down stronger enemies."

The summoner turned his attention to the larger champion. "Rek'Sai, rather than fear, you need to hone your tremor sense. Pay more attention to the details each tremor causes and push the limits of what you can handle. The more you push your limits, the greater amount of information you can interpret."

"…"

Again. They didn't say anything nor give any sign of acknowledgement. At this point, he was getting used to it.

"Luckily, I know a way for the two of you to practice this."

And a way for him to take out three birds with one stone. Since he decided he would give the champions some leeway, it was time to start another champion's personal training.

o. o. o.

Even as her body screamed for rest, Riven kept moving. Screeches from behind drowned out her hearing. The few of them that sharply got louder than normal were cut off when she swung her sword, the weapon no different from her arm and no longer something that weighed her down. Changing directions also worked as well but she had no time to smile as those stupid chickens crashed into trees. She learned her lesson from the last time she did that and didn't want to experience another one of those painful headaches.

But those stupid birds weren't the ones to take advantage of letting her guard down. The number of times they killed her could be counted on one hand.

The Noxian growled when she was forced to stop on being attacked from all directions. Fucking birds called more of their friends. Rather than stand her ground and attack, she somersaulted under them and kept running. The ground erupted seconds later behind her but she didn't turn back to look at what caused it. The inhuman roar and crushing of flesh were telling enough for her to figure it out.

Most of her attention was focused on her senses telling her she was about to die.

Her body ducked under two blades that sought to take off her head and her retaliating strike earned her empty air. Only a second was given to catch the form of the perpetrator before it disappeared once more by leaping into the trees.

Stupid bug.

The momentary lapse of attention costed her as the beast that came from underground lunged at her.

Next thing she know she's clutching her head in pain and shouting curses.

"How many times is that Riven? Ten? Fifteen? I lost count after a while," that smug bastard said as soon as she came back to life. Would have punched him for it but the headache she was going through was worse than the ones she got when she was in a brawl. "Oh, don't look at me like that. This is the best way to improve your instincts which is your best quality. There's no easy way to do it than making you go through hell."

As much as she hated to agree with him, he was right. With every attempt she was getting better and surviving longer. That and wanting to wipe that smirk off his face was reason enough to get up and try again even as the headaches got worse.

Thankfully, the headache went away after a minute or two like it always did and she made her way towards the forest once more where chickens and bugs waited for her.

"That reminds me. I never asked this buy why do you want to get into Noxus so much?"

The question stopped her in her tracks but not for long.

"None of your business," she finally said.

There was no point in telling him. It would be a waste of time and effort to do so.

o. o. o.

"I want to go back," Riven demanded the day after.

"…"

Zike looked at her. On one hand, it was good to see that she was mostly unaffected by her experiences in Summoner's Rift. On the other hand, "Did you not listen to the reasons I gave why we can't stay there all the time?" Despite how time works there, two problems prevented the humans from utilizing its full benefits.

The first problem was that the place didn't have a refrigerator that self-generated food and the system prevented anyone from bringing it into the Rift. Given that it was an unfamiliar world with plants and animals possibly harmful to humans, it meant the minions had to prepare food for them. They were too busy getting more information about the place so until they were done, hunger would always be a constant problem. The second problem was that the Rift used a champion's real body instead of generating a copy of them, limiting the amount of time they could spend inside of it due to obligations and the fact that the place wasn't exactly the best place for sleep. Stay too long and they would risk either dying from starvation or suspicion from those wondering where they had gone and why they looked so tired. It was the reason why they only went to the Rift at night.

The two Void champions didn't have these same problems because they were monsters, so he left them when there were no disagreements from them. Even though the humans could only go in there at night because of the Rift's shortcomings, there was no reason to restrict their access because of it.

"No," she responded bluntly, reminding him that explaining things to her was like explaining things to a wall. Yeah, he expected as much. "It's your job to know about the stuff I don't understand. Not mine."

"And it's your job to listen to the stuff I tell you. That means waiting until night to go back there and making sure this is a secret that no one else knows." The only response from the Noxian was a grunt which made it hard to tell if she agreed or not. However, it was reason enough sharpen his glare which caused the young woman to look away.

"I said fine!" She would have crossed her arms in defiance were she not carrying buckets at the moment.

Deciding that was enough for now, he turned his attention back to the path they were walking on. "How much longer until we reach the river?" He was also carrying buckets since it was their turn to gather fresh water for the farm.

"Not too long," she grunted. "Just a few more minutes."

"And can you make sure you don't scare the other orphans next time, so I don't have to do this." It has already been a few hours since they left, and he was already getting tired. Then they had to make the trip back while carrying water. Curse his out of shape body. "This is supposed to be for the strongest people, not the weakest."

"You complain too much."

"I just think a lot more than you." He would have said smarter than her too if he wasn't so sure it would have been taken the wrong way.

"Still makes you look weak."

"That's what I have you for. It's the perfect dynamic. Which reminds me." It was put on the backburner because of Summoner's Rift but with that out of the way, it was time to focus on getting out of this place. "What is this test we have to do to get into Noxus?"

But doing this would not be as simple as he imagined it to be from how Riven paused in her walking for a brief moment. "It's a hunting challenge," she said. "Whoever brings back the best kill is chosen to be a part of Noxus."

"Hunting huh…"

It made sense since that instructor he saw before pointed to a deep part of the woods. Ever since his arrival to Trevale, he had yet to come across a single beast. Noxus must have herded them into the area to protect the farmers and thought it a bonus that it could also be used to scout out potential soldiers. However, League's lore mentioned nothing about this. He assumed that all one had to do was say 'I want to fight for Noxus' and then they were added to the largest army in the world. This whole thing is raising more questions than answers. It did explain one thing about Riven's situation…

"You failed the last few times you tried, haven't you?"

"…"

The summoner looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "No…you haven't even tried."

"Whoever brings back the best kill," she repeated, staring straight into his eyes. "I thought you were smart."

"I'm not all knowing," he deadpanned but his mind was already whirling.

Was there something he was missing? She said hunting challenge, so he assumed all they had to do was find and kill the strongest and most dangerous beasts to prove themselves. It didn't sound that hard if they formed groups to increase their odds of survival. Otherwise, taking on beasts would prove to be an impossible task. It was already difficult enough since most of the farms further out from Palclyff weren't that well equipped to take them on. It would be much simpler to just kill the person who already killed a beast. They would already be tired which would make it laughably easy to just steal…oh.

"I'm guessing that there's no rules against killing each other is there?"

"Took you long enough," Riven snorted, confirming his suspicions.

"Well, that makes things more complicated." So not only do they have to worry about the beasts in the forest, but they also had to worry about the other orphans. Honestly, "Not as bad as I was expecting." A tournament styled test would have been much worse. At least this gave him more options. "Meh, we can still pull it off…"

He trailed off once he noticed that the Noxian walking with him stopped and was looking at him strangely. Now that he was paying attention, she looked kind of angry. Angrier than usual. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Pull it off?" She scoffed, making him blink at the edge in her tone. "You make it sound so easy for someone who's a weakling."

Zike tilted his head. "Because it is? Well, not exactly easy but simple."

His words only set her off even more. "You don't even know what it's like."

"Probably not," he shrugged.

"Yet you still say you can pull it off."

"Yes, _we _can. Not just me," he said, sighing when the Noxian widened hers. "As long as we work together, we can pull it off. I'm not going to leave you alone or stab you in the back Riven. We're friends."

"…"

"…But if I was alone, I could still pull it o-"

There was more he wanted to say but he was cut off when she suddenly tackled him to the ground. The assumption was made that he finally pushed her to her limit until he heard something whistle right past him. Slightly pushing himself up, he saw the arrow that had lodged itself into the spot he was standing in just before. If Riven hadn't tackled him…

He stared blankly at the champion who was still on top of him. "Okay, that doesn't count. I was distracted and…"

The case was left unsettled as Riven practically threw him behind a tree just as more arrows descended on their position. "Even out here you try to get yourself killed!" she hissed as they took cover.

"Hold that thought." Putting his arm out, he flipped off whoever was attacking them. "You missed you fuckers!" He pulled his arm back just as arrows flew by with the intent of piercing and hopefully taking off the offending limb. "So, what were you saying Riven?"

She was unresponsive. She was too busy trying to stop her clenching first from punching him.

Meanwhile, he was looking at the arrows. All those shots were aimed at his legs rather than somewhere that would assure his death. Which brought up the question of why they didn't just aim for the head. They already proved they were excellent shots with the way they were aiming for his arm. There was only one reason and it was because of this reason that he was confident enough to calmly walk out from his cover once the barrage of arrows ended. He raised his arms.

"We would like to discuss the terms of surrender," Zike shouted. "Send one person out so we can discuss your surrender."

The gall of his words made the champion at his side look at him like he was an idiot. No, she definitely thought he was an idiot. The people attacking him probably thought so too but he wasn't being shot at, so he was doing something right. The summoner placed his hands on his hips while he waited, smirk at full force and directed at the attackers.

"I don't know what I find more stupid," a woman said, coming out from the woods. He knew that voice. "The thought that you could steal from us and get away with it or the implication that you think we're at a disadvantage."

It was the same woman that attempted to stop him from escaping after stealing their weapons. Keyword being attempted. "Yet you're here right in front of me. I see you recovered from that punch I gave you. How's the failure of stopping me working out for you?"

There was no way they wouldn't be punished for allowing him to escape with most of their armory. They probably had more because Noxus. The woman made no hint of it and continued giving him a fierce look. "How's the arrow I shot at you?" She gave a small mocking smile when Zike's eye twitched.

"'Twas just a love tap." There goes his pleasant mood. "Now what do you want bitch?"

She narrowed her eyes. "It's Tamara and if I give the others a signal, they'll kill you before you can even blink."

Tamara huh? Where had he heard that name before? Whatever, "Noted. Now what do ya want ya bitch."

"…Heh. I'm glad to see I wasn't mistaken." It was a small laugh, but it was enough to tell him that this won't bode well for him. "The people that are training us are experienced soldiers of Noxus and because of that, some of them were impressed that you managed to steal so much right under our noses. But at the same time, some of them want to see you dead after what you did. We were given the task to find you and should we succeed, offer you two choices."

Zike glanced at the arrows behind him and gave her a blank look. "Kind of hard to make a choice if I'm dead."

"Those weren't meant to kill you. We were to test you before giving you the choices to be certain that what you did wasn't a fluke," Tamara stated coldly. "If you got hit even once from our ambush, we were granted permission to finish you off." She glanced at Riven who had poked her head out to watch what was going on. "Although, receiving assistance wasn't taken into account."

"My point still stands."

"You have two choices," the Noxian continued, ignoring his comment. "One of them is to come back with us so you can become a part of Noxus."

Zike blinked. "That's…rather generous of them."

"It wasn't their idea. I presented it to them when most of them were demanding your head and they accepted it." She rolled her eyes at his stunned expression. "You stole from us, managed to somehow escape, and gave most of what you stole to the other farms. It costed us our advantage over the farms for the upcoming test. You have talent."

"…You as well," he said neutrally which earned him a raised eyebrow from her for the compliment. It was the only sign of surprise he was going to get from her.

There was a reason he got back to his own farm so late last night. While most of the time was spent trying to figure out how Summoner's Rift worked, the remaining time was spent giving some of what he had stolen to the other farms with the intent of losing his trail. Unseen of course. But they thoroughly did their homework given how they knew where he would be to setup the ambush. No, it sounded like this woman came to these conclusions by herself after doing an investigation. Someone actually used their brain…or maybe he wasn't as smart as he thought he was.

Still, all of this sounded too good to be true. "So, what's the catch?"

She shook her head. "There's no catch. In fact, this all made everyone realize that there may be even more talented people that are just not as bold as you. Because of this, the test for recruitment into Noxus is no longer optional."

"And what's the second choice?" Zike said, tilting his head and giving no hint as to what he was thinking.

"Join your friend in the upcoming test. Either way, you will join Noxus all the same."

Another one of her ideas most likely. "You're quite petty."

"I think I'm being rather considerate by helping Noxus find talented individuals like yourself," she denied.

"Well, as much as I would like to take the easy way out and join Noxus right now, I would rather much rather do it by winning this test so I can rub it in your face," Zike said as his smirk started to return. "If you manage to survive that is. You never know what can happen during a battle."

"You're right," Tamara said, closing her eyes. "You never know. Now that I think about it, they never did say when to end the test."

A twitch of her hand. That was all it took for an arrow to be sent flying towards his head. It would have gone straight through his head had Riven blocked it with a log in a sudden burst of speed.

"Glad to see we are in agreement," Zike yawned even though he was almost killed right then and there. "So, is the test over now or are you just going to further prove that you're petty?" The only response he got was a glare from her. "Good. Let's go," he said to Riven, picking up the buckets he had dropped during the chaos.

They didn't shoot when he turned his back towards them nor when Riven rushed to pick up her own buckets and catch up to him.

"Why didn't you just join Noxus now instead of taking the test?" she asked after a moment.

"..."

The summoner sighed harshly.

If he took the easy way out, it would assure his own safety while damning her own. They would go after her just to spite him for what he did to them. The only option left was to participate in the test where they would have the opportunity to go after both of them. To make matters worse, attempting to kill the woman that wanted his head was off the table because he finally recalled where he had heard her name before. She wasn't a champion otherwise he would have recognized her immediately.

But it was kind of hard to completely forget the person who helped two of the strongest champions in League of Legends grow in power along with Noxus itself.

"Because I'm smarter than you," the summoner moaned, ignoring the bucket that was thrown at his head in response. And at this rate it's going to get him killed sooner rather than later. Also, called it.

He had less than a week to figure something out…

Meh. He wasn't too worried. He'll figure it out.

o. o. o.

_Author's Note:_

_Hello once again. _

_I'm going to start off by saying that this chapter was a pain to write. So many times I had to rewrite it because it didn't play out the way I wanted and to be honest, this whole prologue dragged on longer than necessary__**. **Of course that may be due to the fact that I haven't been updating very often. Sorry about that but I wanted to give my best when posting a chapter rather than something unsatisfying l__ike chapter 3. I'm going to redo it because the whole thing makes me cringe and it feels like it doesn't fit. Same thing with the 'Eternals' thing I was pushing for last chapter. It's something I realized as I was re-reading my chapters to get a feeling for how this chapter should go. __The contract with Rek'Sai will still occur but it will play out differently. I'll also be cleaning up the previous chapters and fix mistakes and errors that I missed because some of them are glaring enough to make me want to hit my head against the wall. _

_While working on the next chapters of course. There have been enough delays as it is._

_Another thing I'm going to do is not worry about the word count too much. Setting high goals is well and all but only when being efficient about it and I wasn't being efficient. _

_With this chapter, I consider the prologue to be finished. The next two chapters (Originally one due to my previous word count goal) are less of an end to the prologue and more like a beginning to the first arc. __Don't know what else to say other than thanks for the reviews, comments, and for being patient and I apologize for the wait._

_Be sure to comment and review so I can become a better writer! Also, tell me how this chapter went and if there's a noticeable improvement in quality. _

o. o. o.

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**Initializing...**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**Initializing...**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

o. o. o.

"We've received updates regarding the current situation Frost," a voice stated.

"..."

There was no way to tell his words were acknowledged. Even though Demacian soldiers rode on large, winged raptors above them, none of them could see the two of them overlooking the entrance to their city. They wouldn't have been able to even if they were to land right next to them.

"It was a coincidence that your targets failed to appear. One of them changed their mind and the other managed to find a loophole to escape the decision of exile," he continued.

"…"

"They'll be left alone for now. A new plan has been made but it will take time for it to be completed."

"…"

"Even though command wants you to investigate the state of the Freljord and the disappearance of a unit in Noxus, your new orders are to head to Ionia to return to the rest of your unit. A more forceful method is required and you will do it alongside Elite Unit Can...vas."

The pause was not without reason as the ground beneath Frost started to freeze.

"There will be only a brief window of opportunity so command wants to make sure the operation in Ionia is pulled off with no problems. Two of your targets have high compatibilities and the third target is vital to destabilizing the region," he stressed.

"…"

Eventually, the phenomenon ended but the ground remained frozen around Frost.

"The operation will begin in less than a week. Your transport will be here within the hour so hurry and make your way towards rendezvous point. The coordinates have already be sent."

She was already gone the moment he turned his back towards her.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**Chapter 8**

Miles away from Trevale, soldiers patrolled the camp but kept their movements silent as they did their job. Hidden by the cover of night, anyone approaching would already be cut down by the time they realized they weren't alone in the dark woods. Though their eyes roamed outside of the camp, they also roamed within on the off chance that a creature managed to slip pass them in pursuit for an easy meal. Some of the creatures of the night would not be satisfied by mere scraps of food.

As two of the guards passed by one another, they gave the usual salute. A fist against the chest. But their other hand lingered on the handle to the blade until the other completed their movement at exactly the same time. Too soon or too late and they would be crossing blades the next moment. Afterwards, a brief nod was exchanged, and they moved away from one another to continue their task.

"!"

A few seconds after that moment, one of the guards stopped and slightly drew the sword at his side, eyes darting left and right. The occasional movement of the ominous trees around him were the only things he saw and the sounds of the critters of the night were the only things he heard. Seconds passed as he searched for the source of the unsettling feeling he had.

Until the moment a loud snore rung out within the camp.

Snorting as he heard a mix of giggles and hissing, he allowed his sword to fully slide back into its scabbard after once last search and continued to walk.

"…"

The hidden figure who was standing next to the guard watched him and left the moment he was a good distance away. Even then, the figure continued to move until two miles away from the camp when the figure finally stopped.

By then, the figure wasn't alone.

A dim, red light moved within the darkness and turned towards the newcomer.

"Turn off your cloak. We need to conserve as much power as we can," the owner of the light said.

"Yes sir," a female voice replied. Soon after, the red light coming from her visor became visible and met the one of her superior.

"Well?"

"Orders from Swain are to attack Trevale and search the area. Unlike Darius's faction however, they weren't fooled by attempts to deceive them. They sound positive that something is here."

"How much do they know?"

"They know that _a_ target is here. But they don't know anything more than that."

"Just _one_?" Her superior stressed.

"Just one."

"Hm," the man said. Her superior crossed his arms and paced around the area for a moment. Despite the helmets that they wore, she could tell that he was making deep frown as he tried to make use of this new information. "They'll probably attack during the recruitment trial. Everyone will be spread out and too busy focusing on watching potential recruits."

Originally, their mission was to just scout the area for anything important much like other scouting units. Movement of soldiers. Trade routes. Rumors and letters. The usual. However, they were given a new mission after the unit that was supposed to be in the area was reassigned elsewhere. The only thing she was told was that some rare opportunity came that couldn't be ignored.

"Change of plans," her superior finally said. "We'll move once they start fighting each other. It'll be much easier to cover everything up since it'll be blamed on the conflict."

"We found our targets?" she asked.

They found the site of where the unit that disappeared crashed but all the corpses weren't accounted for. Nor the targets they have captured. There have been no reports of the locals seeing any strange individuals and they already have the more hidden routes out of the farming community in the area under watch.

They were still alive and in the area. Destroying the crash site was put off until they find their targets despite the risks involved if discovered. The last thing their unit needed was for them to be aware that they were not assumed to be dead and were currently being tracked down.

"Not yet," he said. "Though we did narrow down the areas to a select few. Anything else?"

"They mentioned something about how they had move before 'the summoner' gets to the target first."

"Summoner? But Draven doesn't…" he muttered. Underneath her visor, she blinked when a sigh came from him. "Anyways, good work. We're regrouping with the others."

"Yes sir." She said.

They turned on their cloaks, disappearing into the night.

o. o. o.

Zike's eyes snapped open.

"I'm being summoned!"

Riven's foot, which was resting near his head, jerked at the sound of his voice which hit him across the cheek.

"Ow."

Moving the deadly, and diabolical limb away, he looked outside and still saw darkness but with hint light. A quick opening of his client told him that it was way too early. Earlier than the usual time they got up but that works for him. He started to poke Riven's cheek who grumbled and slapped his hand away.

"Get up Riven. We have stuff to do."

The Noxian opened a single, threatening eye to see who was daring to interrupt her sleep. Upon recognizing him, the slight edge in it drained away.

"Also, pick any one of the idiots here and bring them outside. We need them to test something out," Zike said, heading outside without waiting for a reply.

He hugged himself as the cold morning air greeted him. In the distance, the woods looking ominous and the dark temptress that was the path that led to other settlements was the same as usual. He walked past the tilled fields to stand in a clear patch of land untampered with by human hands and as he stood in the middle of it, looked up at the sky to find the clouds darker than he would have preferred.

"That's a good sign," he sighed, taking Riven's broadsword out of his inventory. Not the best way to start off the day where they would have to risk their lives but then again, he could say the same thing about any other weather considering his mood. All he was doing was moving from this crappy farm to the outside world he knew nothing about.

It didn't feel like a good trade.

"Let me go you bitch!"

Zike turned his head toward the shout and found Riven dragging one of their fellow housemates toward him. Despite the fight he put up, there was nothing he could do to get out of the woman's grip and regain the dignity of standing on his own two feet. He was finally released when Riven stood in front of her Summoner and the baggage she brought wasted no time standing up and getting into a battle stance.

"Control your dog!"

"She's not my dog," Zike said. "I would have fed her treats and put a leash on her if she was."

Riven, who was zoned out up to this point, suddenly narrowed her eyes at the orphan who flinched at the look. Despite all the bravado he held, it evaporated due to the fact that she was the strongest person here and there was nothing he could do to stop her. It took Zike placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her from following through with her silent threat.

"As for why you are here, I need to check up on something." He pointed to the sword that he dropped on the ground in front of him. "Pick this up and swing it around a bit."

"And why should I do that?" The orphan scoffed.

"So, you can't even do that huh?" Zike said, shaking his head. "I know you aren't strong enough to beat Riven, but now you can't even pick up a sword? What, are you afraid it's going to bite you?"

The obviously angered orphan leaned down to pick up the sword. It took a second to pick up the weapon and a few more to steady his stance and not let the blade be the cause of further embarrassment by making him fall. Soon, he was ferociously slashing at an invisible enemy.

But the strikes were slow and unsteady compared to when Riven first used the blade. Dramatically so. Not only that, but he used two hands to wield it where she only used one. The difference between the two were like night and day.

"Okay, that's-"

He was cut off when the orphan suddenly swung the blade in his hands at him. Instead of the broadsword being covered with his blood, it hung in the air as Riven gripped the hands wielding it. Much like before when he was dragged away from the hut, there was nothing he could do to get out of her grip.

"-Enough," Zike finished, unsurprised. He was also unsurprised when Riven punched the orphan in the face. "Nice try though. Now, if you don't want to be beaten to a pulp, I suggest you start running around the farm along with Riven. Then we'll be done with you."

"Why should I listen to-"

His words were cut off when his oppressor punched a fist into her palm.

"…Fine."

He gave a wary look to Riven who walked up next to him and the two ran off. "Now don't stop until I say so."

Which would be a while.

He never tested how much Riven's contract impacted her nor how it measured up to someone who wasn't a champion. While he couldn't test the former, he could test the latter and now he was getting a clear picture of what improved as the boy struggled to keep up with Riven.

Power. Skill. Endurance. Instincts. Possibly intelligence as well but she didn't have that much to begin with. Something that would take a few months was given to her just with a simple agreement and the benefits would only increase the more contracts he makes. Riven will have no trouble getting through the trial today but as for what happens after that…

"Lots of things to do…" Zike sighed.

o. o. o.

"Must be…nice being…someone's dog…isn't it?" The idiot next to her panted.

Riven only spared a glance toward him and ran ahead of him. The idiot growled and ran faster to try and not be outdone but it would only drain his strength. She would still win in the end.

"What's it like…eating from his hand and…and wagging your tail for him?" The idiot tried again just to rile her up but compared to when Zike did it, it was easy to ignore.

Riven glanced at her Summoner who was staring into the distance with a hand over his mouth, no doubt thinking about something complicated. A rare moment when he wasn't being annoying.

"Frustrating and irritating," she finally said, which threw the idiot off for a moment.

If Zike wasn't saying something that made no sense or doing something stupid, he was mocking you no matter what you were doing. If he was bored, chances are he would get you in trouble for his own amusement. If you finally got fed up and tried to resist, you would only pathetically lose ormaybe, and that was a big maybe,come to a stalemate. There was no chance of victory against him. He was like an invincible, cowardly, weakling.

"You shouldn't listen him…when you're this strong. Everyone else will think you are…weak if you listen to someone…who gets tired after only an hour of work."

Breaking this idiot's arm to get him to stop talking sounded like a good idea right about now but she was told to hold back. Multiple times. Like ten already. She did not want to be dragged into another one thanks to this dumbass.

"Just show him…who's boss," the idiot said, looking at the one who was causing him so much trouble with hate. "And knock that smug look off his face."

Riven sighed, annoyed that they were even having this conversation. Besides, trying to knock the smug out of him was like trying to destroy the sun. Maybe. She wasn't good at analo…gies? That was a difficult word she learned from the toothpick wielder. She wondered why she didn't accept breaking it down to something simpler and easier to remember.

Anal. She wasn't good at anal. See? Simple and easy to remember.

Though she wondered why the blondie looked like she was burning up the moment she spoke of the idea. Neither did she understand the reason she joined Fiora's side against Zike to use her idea. Stupid toothpick wielding bitch. Always against her.

At least Zike had her back.

"I should have just killed him in his sleep when he first got here."

Riven's thoughts grounded to a halt.

Despite him muttering those words low enough so she couldn't hear, she still heard it. She knew this was the last time she was going to be on this farm and the last time she was going to see this pathetic dumbass again. She knew she was told to hold back her power.

But still, she was incredibly pissed off. Because even though Zike was annoying and irritating, he was giving her the things she always wanted.

The things these fucking bastards never gave her.

The weakling cried out as his arm was grabbed and his whole body was slammed to the ground.

"You never would have gotten the chance."

_Crack_

The boy underneath her screamed as he held onto the now-limp arm that she let go at the sound of it breaking. She stood up, looking down at the same person who gave her so much trouble in the past and rolled her eyes. She had worse injuries than this. In fact, she actually died. A lot. Something like this wasn't something to be crying about.

"Riven."

Ah…

Despite the lighthearted way her name was called, she still found herself wincing. Slowly, she turned around to find Zike smiling at her and once she was fully turned towards him, he tilted his head.

"Uh…he started it?"

His smile only widened.

Shit.

o. o. o.

"Okay children," Zike said, tapping a large twig against his palm. Far away from the farm they lived in and in the woods where they wouldn't be found, he began his class. "We are going to have a review session due to recent events to see if you all understand. Now, what is absolutely not allowed?"

The twig pointed to Riven.

"Killing our enemies or causing serious damage when we have the power to defeat them without doing so," the Noxian droned out. She didn't even bother to ask why she had to be on her knees.

"Unless?"

"It is absolutely necessary." She looked up at the sky. Even if it was hard to make out a single cloud with everything being nothing but grey, to her, it was more interesting than this review session they were having. Probably wishing the morning sun was out so it could burn her eyes out to save her from this ordeal.

"Very good." Zike walked paced up and down the line. "Because that would work against the goals that we have. Now, what counts as absolutely necessary?"

The twig went again to Riven.

"But I already went!"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Ugh," Riven groaned. "Unless our lives are in danger and there is no other option. I get it! Why don't you make sure he gets it?"

She pointed towards Kha'Zix who was glaring at her for dragging him into another one of these sessions.

"Because he wasn't the one who didn't listen. Because he's showing that he can listen."

The summoner didn't bother to reprimand the void champion laughing at the Noxian. Rather than back down, Riven challenged that chuckle with a growl. After spending so much time fighting alongside and against the creatures of the void, she regained the usual edge she had when talking with others.

"Wipe that smirk off that face you fucking bug! At least I wasn't thrown! Or screaming like a weakling!"

The laughter was soon replaced by the sound of Kha'Zix extending his scythe like claws. Oh, for the love of…

Their petty squabble was put to an end when he swatted their heads with his twig.

"Calm down children," Zike said, while they rubbed their heads. "Class is still in session. Now, as I was saying-"

"**Is maiming our opponents allowed?" **The void champion interrupted. **"Their limbs will grow back…eventually." **

The Noxian with them widened her eyes slapped a fist against her palm after finally being exposed to darkness in a light and bloodless tunnel. Zike snapped the twig in his hand and threw it on the ground. "Damn it Kha'Zix! Stop regressing and finding loopholes. We've been over this. People don't usually regenerate limbs."

He only got an evil laugh in response to his reprimand that did nothing to reassure him that he would listen.

Making a plan for the upcoming test was easy. Preparing them for it and making them stronger laughably so. A few comments of how their rivals were doing better than them were doing wonders here and throwing them into more battles there spartan style and Walla! For Lux, he just ignored her complaints and threw her into the thick of it. Even though he only needed the two champions in front of him for the plan, he had to make sure all the champions got equal treatment.

Yes, even if he saw tears in her eyes. _Especially_, when he saw tears in her eyes and tried to resist Riven dragging her back into the raptor infested forests. It was all for a good cause.

…Heh.

However, getting them to follow his plan when it required them to hold back was proving to be a challenge. A challenge that was less than a week in the making. Spending so much time in the Rift killing birds tended to cloud their sense of what was considered going too far.

He didn't realize how much of a problem it would be until that same Lux who was complaining about her treatment had made the comment of scorching the enemy's eyes out. Which was something she usually did with good intentions of course and not some developing sadistic tendencies…hopefully. She was talking about those annoying birds and she probably wouldn't do the same to humans, but it would only get worse if he didn't address it.

Therefore, he had to make some rules if they were ever summoned by him or they were following his plans outside of the Rift. Even if he denied it, people would assume the champion's actions were based on his will. The last thing he needed was other champions being wary of him because his own champions became brutal and savage combatants that thrived on victory and blood…

Which wasn't completely wrong per se but wasn't correct either. It was a grey area.

The most important rule that he established was that they should not kill or cause permanent damage to their enemies unless it was absolutely necessary. Convincing Lux and Fiora to go along with it was easy. Kha'Zix and Riven were the problem students.

Rek'Sai wasn't included. She's a lost cause, that bloodthirsty alien caterpillar.

"Look, we need allies, not enemies," We'll be making a lot of them if we kill and maim everyone we meet."

"But they'll be trying to kill and maim us! Why can't we do the same?" Riven argued.

"Yes, and you'll be stronger than them." He could barely lift the broadsword that Riven swung around as if it was her own arm. Then again, that wasn't saying much since he didn't have that much strength to begin with. "Which means you are very capable of taking down your enemies without causing too much damage."

Their thoughts on the matter was clear given the way they looked away from him and clicked their tongues. Zike's eye twitched. There was only one way left to get them to play along and it was something he didn't want to do.

"If you both can't do this, then I'm banning you both from the Rift." They both froze. "Which means Fiora and Rek'Sai will surpass you both by the time I allow you both back in."

And for champions like them who were fiercely competitive, that was unacceptable. Their bodies slumped and they both sighed in defeat.

"Fine/**Fine." **

They really were like children.

"But I was defending you…" Riven muttered.

"Which is why this session is short." Zike scratched his head and sighed. "I know that I'm asking for a lot but just do your best. I don't want things to end up like…"

_Even as the world burned around her, even as everyone hated her, even as she was covered in so much blood of the guilty and innocent, she smiled because she knew that- _

"Like?" Riven asked, interrupting him from his thoughts.

"It's nothing." He glanced at Kha'Zix who tilted his head. "You know what to do. Do your best to make sure you aren't seen."

The void creature nodded and without wasting anymore time, leapt and disappeared into the trees.

"Now let's hurry up and head to where everyone else is meeting for the trial."

Hopefully it would be something grand and interesting.

o. o. o.

"Noxus is proud to see so many people willing to-"

That was as far as the old man got when Zike decided to zone out right then and there. From there, he only zoned back in when he was explaining the rules but even then, it was buried underneath the motivational fluff.

The rules were simple. Kill the fiercest beast you can find and don't go out of bounds. Once you're done, turn in your kill to the spot they were in and it was one kill per person not per the entire group they were in. Which means they were all free to pretend to be friends, stab each other in the back, then kill steal their way into a chance of becoming a part of Noxus. If people couldn't kill beasts or protect their kills, then they were not worthy of being a part of Noxus's strength.

Survival of the fittest at its finest.

He glanced around, finding the other participants awed and fired up and ready to prove their strength. The further down the assembled groups he got, the more well equipped they were showing clear advantages and disadvantages among the participants. Yet, they paid no mind to the differences and were only focused on achieving glory for themselves. He couldn't see Tamara among them but what he saw during their last interaction, her group was probably the most skilled and equipped of them all.

Maybe she wouldn't…nah. She would totally be gunning for him. No doubt about it. If he could piss off a giant, king-like raptor enough that it could sense him a mile away, then he would be a fool to think he would get away with what he did scot free.

And here they were, two people in rags and without a weapon on their body…yet. Probably thought they weren't that much of a threat to be worried about.

"We're going to ruin their whole careers," Zike giggled. While everyone else was playing checkers, they would be playing chess.

During his survey of the unlucky bastards that, he caught something.

It lasted only a split second, but a piece of the environment just…moved. It was hard to explain, and it was only because he was staring off into the distance that he caught it. No one else would have been able to do so since they were still focused on the speaker that was still talking.

Then it happened again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Five times in total. Not magic. If it was, he wouldn't found it. The occurrences were more like a half-assed attempt at invisibility at best. A champion? No, the numbers didn't add up and the environment didn't move like it was just one person moving back and forth.

It was more like stealth technology…

The question was who was using it and why were they here?

His eyes darted to Riven who was still listening to the speech but relaxed them a moment later. That stunt with him stealing the weapons wasn't the reason. He did it alone and when he was confronted, they were only focused on him. Even if they did happen to use Riven as a means of encouragement, it had nothing to do with her. It also wasn't that big of a deal since he didn't have to meet anyone important.

As the seconds passed by, a frown started to form and linger on his face. They weren't a part of Noxus otherwise they wouldn't need to be so secretive. There was also no reason to be in Trevale at the moment. Another champion came to his mind but given the biographies he had, that was some time ago and he was probably somewhere else. No other champions were here and there was nothing. Well except for that one time he made a contract with Kha-

"Shit."

He never did bother to ask the void champion how he got here. And he sent that same champion deeper into the woods.

His thoughts came to a halt when the people around him roared and headed into the woods. In the same damn direction…

Zike palmed his face.

It didn't help that at that moment, it started to rain.

o. o. o.

**Rift Shenanigan #1 (Canon, but couldn't find a good way to add it in): **

The raptor Fiora was staring at in the distance was much unlike the raptors in the past. Numerous scars covered its body and possessed feather wings, that could lift it's large body. It was just about the size of Rek'Sai. Not only that, but the wind it used was annoying to deal with which it used to blind them and launch feathers that would home in on them despite their best efforts to avoid them.

And somehow, Zike had managed to piss it off to the point that it somehow found out where they were despite the great distance between them. It stood in the middle of ruins with a similar appearance to the one she saw whenever she arrived in the Rift. The biggest difference was the fact that it was infested with raptors and the red crystal in the center of it.

Now, the two of them were glaring at each other.

"This is a stupid plan," Fiora said.

Zike didn't look at her. He was too busy trying to win a staring contest. "Says the one who couldn't take down this thing despite being given a week to do it by yourselves. Fucking, stupid turkey. Blink already!"

Fiora sighed but finding no way to counter his argument.

They finally graduated from the exercise to the point where they had to lead themselves. Each person would get a turn to lead the team. Besides the trouble that came with listening to each other despite their personalities and the unanimous agreement that Rek'Sai would never lead after Kha'Zix translated what she said to them, things were going well.

Until they came across that raptor.

Numerous times they faced off against it and numerous times they lost. It got to the point where they had to ask their Summoner if he had an idea to fight this great enemy. She didn't like it, but she disliked losing against this enemy more.

However, despite the time she spent with her savior and how she is slowly getting used to his personality, even this was a little much.

"Why can't we do something less…" Fiora started.

"Insane?" Zike finished.

"I was going to say conventional."

"…But you're not bothering to correct me…"

"Your answer?"

Zike's eyes narrowed though it was hard to tell if that was because of her or the strain he was putting on his eyes. "Fiora, if I'm being called in after your sane methods aren't working, then that means we need something insane to win."

"I understand the reasoning for that but…"

She glanced behind them to look at Kha'Zix who was still struggling to get out of Rek'Sai's grip. Providing any assistance to the champion was struck down by Zike on grounds that they would have to take his place.

Deciding not to help their fellow ally was the only thing they agreed on without getting into an argument.

"You're just jealous I'm going to succeed where you failed," Zike said, the frown on his face giving way to that insufferable smirk.

The duelist's eye twitched and she was about to say something in response but was interrupted by a screech. She turned her head back to the soon to be battlefield just in time to see the large raptor turn its head to one of its offspring.

"Ha, I win!" Zike sprung up and threw his arm forward. "Launch!"

Kha'Zix screamed as he was thrown towards the large raptor in the distance. Fiora and Zike watched the moment the large raptor looked at the source of the screaming and froze, leaving itself open enough for the void creature to impact against its head.

"Direct hit!" Zike said as he pumped his fist into the air.

The void creature at that point stopped screaming and tore into its wings to prevent it from flying and causing them so much trouble. It took a moment for Fiora to close her gaping mouth and join the battle.

They somehow achieved victory.

o. o. o.

_Author's Note: _

_Sorry for the wait. Review and comment so I can become a better writer. Now let's see if I can push out a new chapter before the end of the month. _


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own League of Legends or any references made to it in this story. The OC, however, is mine.

o. o. o.

**_Disaster Prevention Quest! _**

_Stop ? from capturing their targets and restoring their ally. _

_Time Remaining: 1 Hour_

_Reward: Pending_

_Failure: Game over _

…It must be the rain. There is no other explanation. Always a bad sign and a signal for the worst. There better not be any thunder either you fucking clouds!

"They're all over the place," Riven whispered as another group of people killed a beast right in front of them. The rain obscured their sound, but one could never be too careful. She then stared at him.

"Hm? What's with that look?" Zike said once he finished reading the new quest that popped up and cursing in his head. "We have to find Kha'Zix so I'm not going to run off and get us in trouble right now."

"…I find that hard to believe."

"You know me so well."

She rolled her eyes but followed close behind as they moved while the group they were keeping an eye on got into an argument amongst themselves. From what he could make out from the bits and pieces, they were trying to decide who would go out and risk their lives and who would stay behind. It was then decided that the decision would be made through combat if the exchange of fists were anything to go by.

He and Riven both stopped once they came across a group more well-equipped than the one they just slipped past. It was nothing compared to what the veteran soldiers wore during the opening ceremony of the trial, but it was close enough to stand out and make them look intimidating. There were no corpses of beasts around them, but their eyes were scanning the area. Almost like they were looking for someone…

"Freaking petty Tamara," Zike sighed. "Riven, take them both out. They're in the way."

She nodded and the second one of them turned their head away from their general direction, she moved. Faster than they could react to. A quick jab with the pommel of her sword and one of them was down. The other didn't have a chance to react before he too was taken down, this time with an elbow strike that sent him flying a few feet. He didn't get back up.

"Everyone!" A new voice shouted from a distance away with a bow and arrow trained on the champion. Damn it, there was another one. Riven was about to dash towards him but stopped. "They're ov- guh!"

Ah, there's Kha'Zix.

He was so focused on the Riven that he didn't notice the shadow right behind him. A shadow that kicked him hard enough to send him flying towards Riven. He tried to get up but was knocked out with another kick thanks to her.

"I had that," Riven muttered as she watched Kha'Zix come out from the shadows. "We were looking for you bug."

Kha'Zix looked at her for a moment before focusing his attention on Zike which made the summoner blink. Oh, what now?! **"There is new prey. Not the weak prey that walks on four legs and not the ones who hunt them. Strong prey in great numbers." **

"New prey…wait, but they were invisible." Zike scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. There was no way the void champion could have saw them. "How did you find them?"

Kha'Zix tilted his head. **"Invisible?" **

He didn't know what he was talking about. Which meant he found something else he knew nothing about. So not only did they have to pass this stupid test, but they also had to worry about unknown people with unknown intentions possibly screwing everything up. Unknown people causing a new type of quest that implied a disaster and assured a game over for him.

And he couldn't forget the fact that Tamara and her group was hunting him down at the same time…

Zike's face blanked out which immediately made Kha'Zix perk his head in a sudden sense of alertness.

"**Uh oh." **

"What?" Riven asked. It was rare for him to be so alert. The one time it happened was when they encountered that big chicken. "Why did you say, 'uh oh'?"

"Screw it. Change of plans," Zike interrupted the two. "Kha'Zix, your job is to still keep out of sight while making sure Riven doesn't get killed. Riven, your job is to gather up people for what's coming."

"And what's coming?" The Noxian asked.

"A variation of the game, 'protect the king'."

At that, both of the champions froze up on the spot.

"Please no," Riven whispered as the horrors of what happened in the Rift when he took the lead came rushing back into her head.

"Yes, a variation," Zike said, ignoring her plea for mercy. "It'll be easier if you gather up people like I said and watch each other's backs. Make sure you're on your toes otherwise, you're both going to die."

They both shuddered but there was no other option.

The original plan was to just have Kha'Zix scout out the area as a lookout, find the most ferocious beasts and kill them, then store them in a secret place while they screw with Tamara. Also, the rest of the competitors but mostly Tamara. But that just wasn't possible with these new developments that if ignored, will ruin everything. Plus, it was raining.

Screw you weather.

"There they are!" A new voice shouted in the distance. From his map, he could see various red dots coming towards them.

"Good luck!" Zike said, already beginning to run off. He was about to tell Kha'Zix to disappear, but the champion was already gone. "And don't die this time Riven!"

Riven groaned and palmed her face.

o. o. o.

His map was going through the chicken pox. That was the best way to describe the red dots all over the place. It could be divided into two sections which were the western and eastern sides.

All of the competitors came from the western side and were gradually moving towards the eastern side where most of the beasts were located. At the same time, the beasts were also crossing the division, drawn out by the sounds of battle going on. The forces Kha'Zix found came from the same direction given that was where he sent the void champion, but they had yet to show up on the wards he was placing down in the area. He hoped they would be green or at the very least grey when they showed up, but he doubted it.

That left only the cloaked individuals unaccounted for. His best guess was that they were headed north given that was where he found Kha'Zix. However, they could only be found with control ward of which, he could only use one. Even if they did show up, he would miss them due to the numerous things going on all over his map.

Fortunately, he had a solution to this which would solve most of his problems: flip the table like a raging lunatic.

It didn't take long for him to reach his destination. On the hill he stood on, he looked down to see numerous red eyes looking back at him. They looked like rats that had the size and tusks of sabretooth tigers. All of them predators, but they didn't make a move toward him. They were curious but their stance was threatening, warning him that if he didn't leave soon, they would make good on the threat.

Or maybe they were just waiting for him to turn his back before tearing him apart. Hard to tell.

"Hm…"

Zike scanned the area, looking among the various rat creatures. He also glanced behind him but kept his map in front of him, showing that the predators he was in front of were slowly creeping closer.

Route is already planned out. Ammo is loaded. Energy also in the green. Might be a bit tricky to pull off given the marathon he was about to go on, but he's already been doing this sort of things back in the Rift. But this was the first time he was doing this without the champions.

Champions that would hold him back from causing as much chaos as possible…

This is going to be fun.

The giant rat-like monsters stopped creeping towards him once they saw his head turn in their direction. They didn't move even as he assumed a pitching position and looked at what he thought was the leader given its size being larger than the others.

"And here comes the pitch! That's right folks," Zike smirked. "We're going to see his famous ghost ball live. You'll blink if you miss it."

Sticking out his tongue, the Summoner threw the rock and with its spell enhanced speed, hit the beast dead center on the forehead.

"What another amazing pitch! The batter couldn't even see it!"

The 'batter' roared angrily and slowly, all of the members of his pack turned towards them, their stances no longer giving a silent threat but going full on murder mode.

"Uh oh! Looks like the batter is being salty about it. What a poor display of poor sportsman."

Somehow, the leader of the pack understood that given its roar of rage and lead the pack's charge towards him with the intent of ripping him to shreds.

"And they're off!" Zike said, already making his great escape. "Tommy takes the lead, but it looks like Howard isn't going to let him do so for long. Looks like that idiotic bastard has put in the training he always needed. Good for him."

The only thing that prevented him from dying right then and there was that he was on a hill that they had to climb in order to get to him. A climb that wouldn't be easy and would take too long. As he ran along the edge of it, they didn't bother doing that and instead began to pass him by from below. It wasn't hard to see why as the difference in elevation between them was getting smaller and smaller. Soon, the issue would be solved with a small jump rather than a climb which would give them the opportunity to surround him.

"Oh, but what's this!" Even though the situation looked bleak, he still kept the smirk on his face. "Looks like the backstreet chickens have gotten too close to the ring!"

Those rat-like creatures were so focused on him that they didn't notice that they were about to crash into another species of beasts until it was too late. A species that had the head of a bird but white, feathered bodies of a horse. Roars and screeches drowned out the sound of the rain as two species collided and from below, he could see that some of them stood off against each other and forgotten about him entirely. Well, he couldn't have that.

"Hold on folks! Is that what I think it is?! Is this the legendary double pitch?!"

Right after saying those words, the summoner not only hit Tommy with a rock but also what looked to be the leader of those chickens. Let's call him Larry. Yeah, he hit Larry. Tommy and Larry quickly forgot the animosity between each other and focused on him. The rat in particularly looked extremely angry with the lumps on its head.

"It is! What a day to be alive!"

And now it's time to run again.

Before the trial even started, he had Kha'Zix scout out the area. Simple given how the champion's stealth was improving every single time they went into the Rift. From there, he had a good idea as to where all the beasts were or at the very least, their general positions.

Though it did take a while for him to realize that the void champion was culling the creatures of the woods. Thankfully, that crisis was averted before anyone noticed.

Zike glanced behind him and blinked. "We should probably add the word 'miracle' to the double pitch as well! Somehow, despite looking as if they would kill each other before, the chickens and the rats have made up in order to celebrate this bastardization of the Chinese New ye- OH FUCK!"

The chickens proved to be faster than he expected and one of them pounced at him, its beak opened wide and ready to tear apart his flesh. He quickly used ghost to make a sudden change of direction and dodged what would have been a fatal bite.

Unfortunately, the consequence of that was that he was going to have to improvise the route he was planning on. Well isn't that just perfect.

"Let's see." He rubbed his chin even as the red dots behind him gradually started to get closer and closer. It wouldn't be long until they were upon him. "How to deal with this problem…oh?"

The wards he placed down farther on the eastern side showed groups of dots on the move. Red dots. And how convenient it was that they weren't that far from him.

Also, called it.

"It looks some there's some of the audience wanting to get in on the action!"

In the distance, he saw numerous people on the move. However, some of them stopped and turn their heads in his direction. Shouts of orders could be heard over the sound of the rain, but it was too late. He used ghost to slip right past them, leaving them to face the wrath of a lot of angry beasts.

Once he heard their screams, he stopped for a moment.

"And the crowd goes wild."

But only a moment.

Thanks to that, he lost most of the hoard of angry beasts he built up. Now where to find more…

o. o. o.

To Riven, this situation wasn't anything new. It was the same as the Rift but instead of dealing with those chickens, she was dealing with people.

"I got you no-"

People that somehow were more annoying than those dumb animals.

"You don't."

The interruption was followed by a strike using the flat of her blade, knocking the guy out along with a couple of his teeth.

That was how things went on for a while. They chase her, think they were smart, then they try to her off. Keywords being try. She would break through them with little effort and continue to run. That didn't stop them from trying again but with greater numbers.

But compared to when she was being chased by those two bugs, it wasn't that difficult.

"!"

She stopped, narrowly missing a hail of arrows raining down on her position and slicing through raindrops. As if that wasn't enough, two people from that direction was coming right for her.

Not wasting another moment for to give them another moment to shoot her, she ran towards the two of them and swung her blade. A metallic sound rung out along with a pained grunt coming from the one she swung her blade at, forcing him to drop his blade due to her power. But that left her open for the other guy to try and kill her. The position was awkward, but she was able to block the strike and quickly push him back far enough to give her an opening to make another strike.

But she didn't take it. Instead, she ran away, kicking up a puddle of water in the process. She heard the whistle of arrows a moment later.

If she stayed in one place for too long and she would get shot or surrounded.

She glanced to the side, catching sight of the ones shooting at her. All of them wore grey armor much like the people she faced off with so far. They didn't think that much of her at first by sending only a single guy. Once she showed off her strength and proved that she was stronger than she looked, they started sending more.

She was starting to see why Zike had said to hold back. It was getting irritating at this point. Maybe she should just rush them and…her neck felt itchy.

No, fighting them all at once was too risky.

The decision was taken away from her when a lot of them came out from the trees. Too much time to take them on. She took a single step in another direction but was cut off by a hail of arrows. She tried again only for the same thing to happen. They gave up trying to take her on and now focused on keeping her in one place. Soon, she was surrounded on all sides with swords pointed towards her.

"We're supposed to be hunting beasts, not each other," Riven said to them.

Those words did no good. They didn't lower their weapons nor had faces willing to give up. Faces that were bruised and covered with mud from the times she forced them out of her way to continue. Now that she was here and surrounded, they were eager to pay her back for all the things she'd done to them.

Zike, that asshole. Why didn't he just wait until the trial started to do something stupid instead of before it? She was just cleaning up his mess at this point.

One of them decided that he was sick of waiting and charged at her. It was pitiful how slow it was. All it took was a simple step to the side to avoid it and a quick punch to knock him out, sending him sliding on mud towards his other companions. She felt something break that time and glanced down to see blood mixing with mud and water.

Well that was disappointing.

"You all can't take down one person despite all that equipment and all that training," Riven said, beckoning them with her sword.

She could see them shift and grip their blades even tighter in response, but they held back. They were tired in the way they panted, angry in the way they curled their lips, and afraid given that every step she took towards them, they took a step back. Yet, she showed none of that. Instead, she kept her blade ready and waiting for anything they tried to throw at her.

She was stronger than all of them and they knew it. It should have been something that made her happy but now? Now she was just eager to get this over with. She had better things to do than waste her time with these idiots.

"You're surrounded."

Riven turned her head towards the speaker. It was the same person that attacked she and Zike back when they were getting water. Tam, she thinks. Unlike the others, she wasn't bruised or roughed up from trying to stop her.

"And? That doesn't change the fact that you're having trouble taking me on." She leveled her blade at her but still kept her guard up in case the others tried something. "Maybe if you all tried a bit harder, I may finally decide to stop holding back."

The rest of Tam's band shifted at the threat. "That's nothing but a bluff."

"Then why haven't any of you died yet?"

"Yes…I've been wondering about that." Tam said. "It would have been easier for you if you decided to make lethal strikes. Is it because you won't?"

Riven scoffed. As if she would lose sleep over killing these guys.

"No, it's because you can't." The champion looked around and found the others looking a bit more confident. Now they were going to be even more irritating. Great. "Because your friend told you to, I presume? Tell me, where is he right now and what is he doing? I don't see him with you."

"Oh really? I'm blind," Riven deadpanned. "I didn't notice."

"So, he just left you here? Just left you behind just like that?"

Riven could only grunt in response. Wouldn't be the first time.

"Makes me wonder if he's just going to-"

"Let me stop you right there," Riven interrupted, holding up a hand. "First, he already told me you were going to pull something like this."

"_Riven," Zike said, "Tam will definitely realize that you're too strong and she's too weak and will try to plead for mercy due to your immense power." _

Tam frowned. "You're nothing but his pet. Do you even know the reason why we're all trying to-"

"Second," Riven interrupted again. "He also told me that you would try to turn me against him."

"_Riven," Zike said "Tam will also try to make you turn on me because she's too weak to try anything else to beat you. After all, you are much stronger than everyone else, including that bug and that toothpick wielder." _

She was probably remembering his words wrong but she got the gist of it and that was all that mattered.

Tam said nothing for a moment. "Did he also say how he's manipulating you?"

"He did actually," Riven said, causing Tam to blink.

"_Riven, the reason I know these things is because I'm doing the same thing. I'm manipulating you." Zike shrugged. "I'm a person of deceit and no, I'm not going to tell you why."_

He didn't need to. She and the others already figured out why. It's the very reason why they put up with the crazy stuff he did.

And it's the same reason why she wasn't going to turn her back on him.

"So, if you're done wasting my time," Riven said, changing her stance which caused all of them, including Tam, to take a step back, "Why don't you hurry up and…"

All of them stopped once they heard the sound of screaming. It wasn't the sort of scream when you were about to fight. It was the sort of scream that was filled with terror. People came rushing towards them though not because they wanted to fight. They all ran right past them as if they're lives depended on it with pale faces.

They all found out why when they saw the beasts running towards them in the difference. Too many to count and all of them looking like they came from the more dangerous parts of the woods given their appearance.

Riven blinked when she saw that some of them had a few lumps on their head.

"Damn it Zike," she sighed.

Even though she had her reasons for putting up with his craziness, that didn't change the fact that she questions it on a daily basis.

o. o. o.

No longer were there sounds of marching soldiers. No longer were there sounds of the occasional beast passing through. No longer did she hear the sounds of footsteps coming from those who could not be seen. The only thing that could be heard at this point was the sound of the rain and her own breathing as she tried to get it under control after having used almost all of her strength to run for her life.

Her strength finally reached its limit as she collapsed against a tree the moment her foot caught on something, the action causing her to wince in pain. She placed a hand on her side underneath her cloak and it felt warmth and wet. It wasn't rain. It was a consequence of the surprise encounter with that crow's forces during her escape. It was only thanks to those beasts suddenly wreaking havoc that she managed to survive.

Her breath hitched at the thought that _she_ may have possibly caused it but calmed down. There was no way _she_ would have done it. _She_ was dead. She was sure of it. The others saw it too. However, that didn't change the fact that they were discovered. The ones currently hunting her down were different from the ones she first encountered, but she was weak and injured to the point where it didn't matter.

She rested her head against the tree and chuckled bitterly.

She's finished. There was no way she was going to get away. It was only a matter of time before they find her. Even if she did manage to get away, there was nowhere for her to run. She's already lost everything she had possessed. It felt like a sort of justice to be hunted like an animal after the things she had done. It was a small mercy that her enemies weren't here to see her pathetic state.

But even when she was aware of the things, she had done….

"Someone…please…help…" she choked out.

She didn't want to die like this.

"I kind don't want to since you kicked my stuff."

She froze at the sound of the voice and turned her head towards the source. A man wearing a white hooded apparel that appeared to originate from Demacia. His face was obscured by the shadow caused by his hood, but she could tell that she was looking at her.

"Your…stuff?"

He pointed to something and she followed the finger. At first, she thought it was plant until she noticed a small glowing, yellow gem at its core. Was that the thing she tripped over?

"I…apologize," she found herself saying as she tried to make sense of the situation. "I was in a hurry."

"Hm," he hummed, picking up the object before chucking it into the distance. "Whatever. Now what's up with you? And hurry up, I'm on a time limit at the moment."

She blinked. "Are…you someone from Demacia?"

Because he certainly didn't act like it.

"Why would you…wait, why did it change my clothes?" He sounded confused for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I'm not from Demacia. Anyway, I have a question for you since this quest thing is being obscured. Are you a target?"

Instantly, she froze and widened her eyes.

"Guess you are and before you ask no, I'm not one of the ones hunting you down." He paused and tilted his head. "Well, technically I did hunt you down but…meh."

After those words, he stretched out a hand towards her. She flinched, expecting some sort of magic attack to come from that hand. But an attack didn't come like she expected. Green light covered her form and the pain coming from her side slowly started to go away. It was healing magic.

"Why would you-"

"Stop." He raised the same hand the healed her to interrupt whatever she was about to say. "Like I said, I'm on a time limit here. Twenty minutes until whoever is hunting you down finds you and restores their so-called ally, so I need you to-"

Her mind, which was already a mess at this point, grinded to a halt. "No! There's no way she's alive! She's dead! We already killed her!"

He tilted his head again. "I don't know who this person is but she's not dead. Just trust me when I say it comes from a trusted source. But judging from how you sound, is she that bad?"

She shivered.

It didn't matter how many people she manipulated to bring them to her side. It didn't matter how powerful her magic was nor the years of experience she had to hone it. All of it did nothing to prevent _her _from destroying everything and capturing her.

"Oh, that bad. Neat," the mysterious individual said as he began to walk away.

"Wait!" She stood up with the little strength that she managed to recover. "You don't understand!"

He stopped and sighed, turning around to look at her. "You're right, I don't. But that's nothing new." With that, he continued walking and waved back at her as he left. "Anyway, you have two choices. Either run away or help me stop whoever is out there from doing whatever they're doing."

Her eyes flickered towards the deeper part of the woods that she was running towards but shook her head. No, if he was right and _she_ was still alive…there was no point in running. She then turned towards the figure that was continuing to walk away. She knew didn't know this person nor what he could do.

But he was the only chance she had of getting out of this.

"I'll help you," she finally decided, catching up to him as they headed towards the very thing she tried to run away from. "But who are you?"

"Zike. And you?"

She took off the hood, exposing her glowing yellow eyes to him.

"…LeBlanc."

o. o. o.

_Author's Note:_

_Not even a two months since the last update! Haha, wow it's terrible that I consider that an achievement. Got to take small victories and before anyone asks, no, I did not make a mistake with LeBlanc's eye color. _

_It's intentional._

_Anyway, review and comment so I may improve as a writer! _


End file.
